Attention 2009 Graduating/Graduated Senior (HS and College and Grad School/Seminary)

Hey guys. Jordan asked that I pass this on to you all.  It is information regarding the Graduation Sunday events on Sunday, June 7th at HBC. 

You are cordially invited 
to attend the

2009 Graduation Banquet

Sunday, June 7th
12:00 PM
(immediately following second worship)

Hephzibah Baptist Church
Family Life Center
Fellowship Hall

Please let us know if you and your family 
will be able to attend the banquet before May 31st 
by contacting the church office at 365-7847.

I you would like to be included in the slideshow, 
please send a digital copy of three to four pictures. 
Please include a baby picture and a senior picture.

We would also like to recognize each graduating senior 
in both of our worship services on Sunday, June 7th. 
Please bring your cap and gown.  

Amazing Grace, that Saved a Wretch Like Me!

    I have but a second before I have to head off to work, but I want to share a short testimony and confession about what has happened in my life and mind the past two days.

    About five or six months ago, a woman named Kathy started working with me at Wachovia. She was an incredibly nice woman, easy to get along with, and very relevant to things today (she was in her late 50's, on facebook).  My workplace is not very  conducive to conversation, so we didn't talk very much.  However, I did get several opportunities to have short talks with her over her few months there. We talked about her hometown (which is in Ohio, the state of my birth), the 'Canes, NC State football (though she spoke of them positively), Sidney Lowe, and several work related topics.  

    Here is my dilemma.  I have no idea where she stood concerning the Lord.  I have no reason to think she was or was not a believer. She never spoke of Him, so at first you would assume no, right? But similarly, neither did I speak of Him!  Last weekend, Aaron preached about living in the moment, not putting things off and planning according to our purposes. It is all about what the Lord wills.  While Aaron was preaching this message, Kathy had already passed into eternity (very unexpectedly, one of those things where you are fine one day, and gone the next).

    I pray for their family in this time of loss, and possibly they know more about her heart, and whether or not she had the assurance of Christ for salvation, and that she treasured Him more than all else.  This life is so uncertain. We are here one day, and gone the next.  We spend so much time placing our hope and dreams and money into savings plans and investments and things we hope to enjoy for years to come, knowing that only Christ is Eternal and worthy of our treasure, hope and praise.

    I have failed to share the gospel five distinct times that I can think of since yesterday.  What am I afraid of. What sort of hatred must I have for these people to not share the Treasure that is Christ with them?  Maybe they too have Christ, and feel the same way when they talk to me. Please, comment. Let us be transparent, and share our victories as well as our shortcomings with one another, that we may learn from both. I love you guys, and I am sorry that I have been such a poor brother to all of you, and such a poor light for the Lord. Praise God for His Grace and Everlasting Mercies!

    -Bubba

Testing

Seeing if my email still works...

Stirring Up One Another

     Hello all! Sorry that it has been so long between posts. Once again I am having computer problems (my computer is reading that there is a wireless connection available, but it is saying that the signal is unusable, yet all other wireless devices work. But I digress.) Ok, so I am using Brooke's computer to update today.  While thinking about what I wanted to write about, I decided to go with what has been on my mind a lot lately, and has been the focus of our Ministry for most of this year.  We need to be encouraging and stirring one another up to love and good works.

    I have just been thinking lately that I am negative, divisive, and sarcastic very often. I feel that on a regular basis I poke fun at my brothers and sisters, discourage them, and let them know where I think they fall short.  Do these actions describe the daily life a believer in Scripture? No, perish the thought! (Shai Linne).  

    Over the past several weeks as I've been noticing my destructive nature (and yes, it is a destructive nature), I have noticed that many of us seem to interact this way.  And what may be even more disturbing, is that we do not seem to care.  For anyone reading this blog, I have a challenge for you. The next time we gather to fellowship (Wednesday, Sunday, lunch, or dinner on a weeknight), take a mental count of the statements (don't keep names, and make sure to count your own) that are deliberately meant to be discouraging (yes, jokes are deliberately discouraging, even in a joking manner). And do the same for comments that would be considered encouraging (Eric, you really are a great man of God.  Erica, you know a lot about Scripture. How often do you study, and what do you do to grow in that knowledge?)  Oh the growth the Church would have in the world if these things were as easy to do as they are to write... (Just a side note, it was actually difficult for me to quickly come up with 2 encouraging comments, possibly because I so seldom draw from that well).      

    Hebrews 10:23-25

23. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24. And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, 25. not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

  We must grow together as a body. This summer we need to be connected with one another. Get with one of your brothers or sisters and talk to them on a regular basis (monthly is not regular). Share your struggles, your victories, your lives.  If we can become better connected, we will know more about one another. If we know more about one another's lives, it is easier to encourage our brothers and sisters in their good works. Likewise, we will also be able to see the areas of struggle for each of us, and bring our sins to the light, and minister to each other as necessary (I am not saying all sins and struggles need to be handled and brought out before all of the Young Adult Ministry, but if we are connected to 1 or just a few close brothers and sisters, then it is easier to share struggles within our own lives.)   If we can make this happen, we will know it was only because we loved one another, and that God is doing a great work within our group. And if people see us loving one another, that is how we are distinguished from the world. This world has nothing for us, and this world has everything. All that we could want and nothing that we need.  Let us drop everything, cut loose the chains the world has on us, and seek Christ with all that we are, knowing that He is faithful to keep His promises, and grant us Eternal Rest after we have run the race. Grace and Peace, sorry for my inconsistency as a writer for this blog, and as a brother in Christ. I will strive to do better, by God's grace, in both of these matters.   -Bubba

 

   

Quote 2 from John Newton

Wow...

 

"Whoever . . . has tasted of the love Christ, and has known, by his own experience, the need and the worth of redemption, is enabled, Yea, he is constrained, to love his fellow creatures. He loves them at first sight; and, if the providence of God commits a dispensation of the gospel, and care of souls to him, he will feel the warmest emotions of friendship and tenderness, while he beseeches them by the tender mercies of God, and even while he warns them by his terrors"

 

May it be with all of us...

Quote of the day: John Newton

This is how John Newton said a Christian ought to live:

 

"He believes and feels his own weakness and unworthiness, and lives upon the grace and pardoning love of his Lord. This gives him an habitual tenderness and gentleness of spirit."

 

Challenging. Try to see this in your life today.

Help Needed

Hey guys,
I hope you all are doing well. I need some help recruiting childcare for our Spanish Bible study on Monday night. If you are interested, please let me know. Also, let me know if you would be interested for a future date.

What have you been studying lately in the Scriptures? Leave some comments below...

BD
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Die to Gain Life

I would like to start this posting with an apology. I have been without computer access for an extended period of time, but now that I am back to normal life, I intend to update regularly. The posts will be short, typically, and hopefully insightful and encouraging (i.e. things I have read in scripture and have personally been encouraged by.) For those of you who did not go to Caswell on the retreat last weekend, you missed out. It was a real blessing, refreshing and challenging. Good fellowship and good lessons from Dave out of the Bible.
I say all of that to say this: God demands our lives. We spoke this weekend about unity, and all of the ways that we need to be unified as a Body and applicable ways to seek unity. We also spoke about the fact that it is not easy. Unity is something you must strive for, work at, and truly desire. And normal people, fleshly people, do not desire unity. We do not wake up in the morning naturally and love our neighbor or our brother/sister more than we love ourselves. We do not hunger and thirst for righteousness on our own accord or by our own will. These are things that can only be obtained by the Spirit of God dwelling within us. It is only by crucifying our own flesh, and killing our personal wills and desires, that we can even begin to strive for unity.
I was really thinking about all of those things and this past weekend when I read this passage this past week: John 12: 24-26

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

I cannot even begin to explain how incredibly unnatural this is... but we have so much going on for us that we could praise God for all eternity for these alone (and then to throw in all of His Glory, and His creation, and His will, and who He is...WOW). God the Father has elected us and given us sight that we can see Him for who He is, God the Son has died on the cross to save us, and has conquered Death and RISEN (1...2...3...) Victoriously!, God the Son has also lived a perfect life and left behind a ministry in the Church so that we can rejoice and encourage one another on a daily basis, God the Spirit indwells us, giving us assurance of hope, wisdom, and prays on our behalf because we do not always know how to pray as we ought, and to top all of this off, God has given us His Word, the Bible, so that we may know Him more deeply, and understand Him better, that we might Love Him and Serve Him more appropriately. How Great is Our God!
-Bubba

Session 3 and 4

------Original Message------
From: bobidinho@nc.rr.com <bobidinho@nc.rr.com>
To: <bobidinho@nc.rr.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 19, 3:07 AM +0000
Subject: Session 3 and 4

Here is the update for sessions three and four...
In session 3 we talked about the armor of GOD. It is necessary for believers to clothe themselves in the armor of GOD if they are going to withstand the temptations to live in discord, rather than unity. (justin actually put on the physical armor pretty funny.)

During the last session we opened up the time for prayer. This was by far the highlight of the trip so far for me... but, who knows what is yet to come?

This has definitely been a huge blessing for me. I hope the LORD is blessing you all as richly as he is blessing me.
SOLI DEO GLORIA
BD
----------
Sent from the cell, so forgive the errors...

Put on the full armor of God...

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

Session 1

I am going to try to update this throughout the weekend. IN the first session, we talked about what unity is. We discussed several passages, but one of the most r mentioned was the high priestly prayer of jesus in john 17. Two major thoughts I took away~
1. The Church is like a symphony... different instruments, different musicians but the same song. We all have the same message.

2. The reason for unity is the things that we spiritually share in common. The blood of Jesus, the righteousness of Christ, the great commission, regeneration, and many more. The reason we dont have unity at times is because we are not living by the power of the Spirit.

More to come...
BD
----------
Sent from my all black LG enV 2

Caswell pt 1

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

Worthy of the Gospel

I have set these next three weeks aside to study the book of Philippians. I have been reading through the book, and there are some awe-inspiring thoughts. I just wanted to pass along the one that hit me today. "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents." This is found in the 27 and 28th verses of the first chapter.

 

Three quick thoughts:

1. A life worthy of the gospel- I know for me, I am just amazed at the way that my life is to reflect all that Christ did. I have to ask myself are there things that I do that cast a poor reflection on the gospel? I must answer with a resounding "yes." It's not just that we sin, but do we struggle with sin? We will fail so many times, but are we resisting? A life worthy of the gospel shows the world that Christ is God, and God is worthy of all glory.

 

2. In one spirit, one mind, and side by side- I think we all know where I could go with this, but I won't. I just want to see us all give up our own preferences, and strive for the unity that the Scriptures bring.

 

3. Not afraid- Why should we be afraid in light of the gospel, the glory of God, and the unity that we ought to have? We shouldn't!

 

Keep joyfully fighting the good fight!

BD

My Favorite Easter Song

I just wanted to share my favorite Easter song for you all. Here are the lyrics and the link to the actual song on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbhhBQeudBc

Greatest Story Ever Told

written by shai linne

Verse 1

Alright check it: let’s go back in time, brethren

Divine lessons always keep your mind guessing

The glory of the Triune God’s what I’m stressing

The origin of humankind was fine- blessings

Were plenteous- God is amazingly generous

Crazy benefits in a state of innocence

God told the man what he could taste was limited

Not long after came our nemesis in Genesis

He scammed well, man fell, damned to hell

The whole human race- he represented it

Fooled by the serpent, man through his work

Woman through birth- even the earth ruled by the curses

But instead of a wake immediately

God said her Seed would be the One to crush the head of the snake

Yo, wait what’s this? Whoa, a gracious gift!

In Jehovah’s faithfulness He clothed their nakedness

This was so they would know their Savior’s kiss

And bliss- but first, many growing pains exist

Suffering in the worst form, ugly deeds

Eve’s firstborn seed made his brother bleed

Indeed things got progressively worse

Every section of the earth's been affected by the curse

And though God’s judgments against sin were gory

Praise the Lord! It’s not the end of the story

Chorus:

It's the greatest story ever told

A God pursues foes whose hearts turned cold

The greatest story ever told

Restoring all that the enemy stole

The greatest story ever told

The glory of Christ is the goal, behold

The greatest story ever told

It's the greatest...

Verse 2

Next scene: man’s sin was extreme

God gets steamed, man gets creamed

The Lord is so Holy that He drowned them in the water

Fire in the valley of slaughter- Sodom and Gomorrah

But at the same time, He’s so gracious and patient

That from one man He created a whole nation

Eventually enslaved by the mentally depraved

They cried out to the only One with the strength that He could save

He brought them out with signs and wonders- satisfied their hunger

Then He appeared on Mount Sinai in thunder

Where He laid down the law for God-ruled government

Commonly referred to as the Mosaic covenant

Sin’s imputed- so for man to know he’s unrighteous

God instituted animal sacrifices

This was to show our constant need for atonement

And when it came to sin, the Lord would never condone it

And when His people disobeyed and went astray

He raised up prophets and kings to lead them in the way

But they would get foul with their idolatry- wet and wild

Prophecy- send them into exile

To take their punishment like a grown man

Then with His own hand He placed them back in their homeland

And while in their forefather’s land they dwelt

They awaited the arrival of Emmanuel

Chorus:

It's the greatest story ever told

A God pursues foes whose hearts turned cold

The greatest story ever told

Restoring all that the enemy stole

The greatest story ever told

The glory of Christ is the goal, behold

The greatest story ever told

It's the greatest...

Verse 3

After 400 silent years filled with sighs and tears

In Bethlehem the Messiah appears

God in the flesh- Second Person of the Trinity

At thirty begins His earthly ministry

Baffling cats with accurate, exact facts

And back to back miraculous acts

A stumbling block to the self righteous

But the humbled- His flock, said “There’s no one else like this”

He came from heaven to awake the numb

Demonstrated His power over nature, son

A foretaste of the Kingdom and the age to come

But the reason He came was to pay the sum

For the depths of our wickedness, our wretched sinfulness

Bless His magnificence- He’s perfect and innocent

Yet He was wrecked and His death- He predicted it

Next He was stretched, paid a debt that was infinite

He said that He finished it- resurrected so the elect

would be the recipients of its benefits

Through faith and penitence we get to be intimate

His grace is heaven sent, it never diminishes

Now the Holy Spirit indwelling is the evidence

for heaven's future residents who truly represent

Jesus, the Author, Producer, Director and

Star of a story that will never, ever end!

Spongelike Christianity: Meditations from a Clouded Mind

I am a sponge. I soak up the water, become filled, and then I am useful. When I am full I am helpful tool that can be used for a variety of righteous acts. I am an agent of cleanliness for the purpose of making your home a shinier place. You can use me to clean your dishes, your counter tops, your stove, and even your toilet. I will gladly participate in cleaning the dirtiest places, because I love to be full, and I love to be used for good when I am full. However, at some point I will be used up, and worn out. Two giant hands grasp either end of my body and squeeze, twist, squeeze, and twist again until I am almost empty. Used up and empty I will be discarded, placed beside the sink until next time I am placed in the water. I will dry up, my body will become disfigured and cracked, and I will emit an unpleasant mildew-like odor. I will remain dormant until I am placed in the water again.

Christianity can be sponge-like. I hear the Word of God preached well by passionate Biblical expositors like Chan (www.cornerstonesimi.com), Piper (www.desiringgod.org), Akin (www.sebts.edu), etc. and I soak it up. I experience exegetical Biblical teaching by Jenkins, Dean, Brown, etc. and I’m filled to the brim. I read passages in Scripture like Romans 8, Isaiah 40-41, Romans 10, Matthew 25, etc. and want nothing more than to run, with beautiful feet, to the dirtiest places in the world and immerse myself in the darkest culture so that I can proclaim with boldness the gospel of peace. Then the world squeezes, twists, squeezes, and twists my heart until I am nearly empty. I am discarded and useless, becoming warped like a dry sponge. This style of Christianity is not Biblical, and I do not have a simple solution. I do have the desire for change however, and I hope that if your Christianity is sponge-like then you desire change as well. My suggestion is to read the following passages of scripture often, perhaps daily, and pray that God will change your sponge-like Christianity into something better (I have not thought of a clever analogy to counter the sponge just yet, though I am working on it).

Isaiah 40:28

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Romans 8:31-38

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

Romans 10:14-17

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “ How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,[h] Who bring glad tidings of good things!”[i]
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?”[j] 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Leading in Prayer

Once again, we did not go door to door this week. But unlike weeks in the past, there was a group that went out and led the way for future visits. After checking out where we have been in Wendell and what was left to do, we ended up over at the apartment complex across from the post office. Upon arriving, we discovered that none of us had brought pocket Bibles, gospel tracts, or any tangible information to give to people. While this in and of itself would not typically slow our efforts of evangelism, we decided it would be a great opportunity to pray as a group, walking around the area that we will be witnessing to. We prayed that the Holy Spirit would go before us, and that He would prepare the hearts of those whom the Father would have us to share the Gospel with. We also prayed for the community, and lastly for ourselves, and praised God for many things, including His grace and for using us as vessels for His service.
Tonight was an amazing night, just walking around town, praying with my brothers. Christ speaks many times about our need to pray, and even gives us the model prayer for those that are not sure how exactly one ought to pray (Matthew 6:5-15). In Matthew 6, he tells us to seek the Kingdom of God and that all of the things we worry about (clothes, housing, food, and other things that and economic class would call "needs/priorities") will be added to us. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians to pray without ceasing. And that is where my challenge for the week come from.
I personally do not pray without ceasing, and I personally can see areas of my life with added anxiety and less spiritual growth than there ought to be as a result of my lack of prayer. In class and in groups and with brothers in need, I am quick to volunteer to pray. But often times at home, alone, with a million things and gadgets to distract me, my prayer life gets suffocated and pushed into a small block of time (possibly even now as I post this.) My challenge is for us as a body to pray more this week than ever before. Consider the time that you take in watching tv (NCIS, CSI, Mythbusters, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol (properly named), Leno, Fallon, Letterman, Office, 30 Rock, ESPN), studying, relaxing, reading, working, and the list goes on. Now take that time and pray that amount. Take one day and pray for all of your friends who do not know the Lord. Take another day and pray for our ministry, that we will grow in love and serve the Lord with no reservations. Pray for our community. Pray for our pastors. Praise God for who He is. Pray for the recession. Pray for those who are out of jobs right now. Pray for the hungry. Pray for the missionaries. Ask the people around you for specific things you can pray for and do it: RIGHT THEN. Pray for these things in some kind of mix, not necessarily focusing on one each day. There is not a shortage on things to pray for, there is a shortage on PRAYER for things that need to be prayed for. Sometimes, prayer can be done while you are doing something else (washing clothes, dishes, maybe even studying, during lunch, times that you are "relaxing" (if anyone still does that)). For this goal to be met, maybe something needs to be cut out (a tv show, sporting event, a workout, internet, facebook, phone call, family (ideally, prayer with family if they are Children of God)). You can make your necessary adjustments. Let us pray, and seek the Kingdom with all that we are, and die daily, pick up our crosses, share the Gospel, and love our neighbors and one another, esteeming them higher than ourselves, so that when we have finished the race (2 Tim 4:1-7) we can rest eternally in the presence of our Creator, Savior, and Sustainer. Grace and peace. - Bubba

Doers of the Word

God is doing something with this generation. Of course He does something with every generation, but I am confident that He is doing something special with us. That does not make our generation more “special” than previous generations, because the very nature of what God is doing is teaching us to deny ourselves. He is teaching us to deny ourselves, so that we might properly glorify Him. He is teaching us to deny ourselves so that our lives will act as a giant telescope magnifying a magnificent God to the nations. Many influential church leaders bear witness to what God is doing, that He has instilled zeal in today’s young people that most preceding generations cannot boast of. Praise God! May He continue to fan and fuel that fire! Many of us would rather listen to a sermon on podcast than G105 in our vehicles. Many of us would rather spend time in Bible study with our brothers and sisters than picking up random men or women at the bar. Many of us wake up early to read Scripture, and pray as we lay down our weary heads at night. Many of us would rather talk theology than sports. Praise God! We must be careful though, when we have so many avenues by which to hear the Word that we do that Word which we hear. The Apostle James writes:

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.-James 1:22-25

Francis Chan cautions us to carefully consider each sermon we listen to, each word we read, and their implications; so that, we do not become accustomed to dismissing that which we learn. When you fail to act upon the convictions you face time and time again, dismissing conviction becomes habitual. You become a habitual hearer of the Word. A hearer of the Word is like a man who looks in a mirror, sees himself as filthy, and leaves without washing His face. What good did it do for that man to look in the mirror? Bible study is great, theological conversations are wonderful, sermon podcasts are amazingly convenient; but the Apostle continues:

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.-James 1:26-27

True Christianity happens when we put into practice that which we have read and heard. Paul writes to the Corinthians that they should be imitators of him as he is an imitator of Christ. He also writes in 1 Corinthians that, “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” When we “hang out” it must be under the umbrella of glorifying God. We must minister to each other’s needs, as well as the needs of the community and world around us. When we are doers of the Word, then we will face persecution. We must face persecution, for “no slave is greater than his master.” If Jesus was persecuted, then we will be persecuted. Christians in America do not receive a pass on persecution. If God continues to impress change on this generation, then we will find it impossible to serve two masters. For years Americans have toyed dangerously with the idea that a person can say a short prayer that marks salvation and guarantees eternal life—and put off making Jesus their Lord until they are ready. I think our generation is finding that that concept of Christianity is false, and that it is impossible for Jesus to be one’s Savior if He is not also Lord. I praise God that, in the midst of a people who are by and large rejecting Him, He has raised up a generation who desires to hear His Word; but I pray that that generation (myself included) will be doers of that Word.


If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you-John 15:18-20

-Gary

Gazing, Longing and Tasting

Gazing leads to longing, and longing to tasting, and tasting to more tasting. I heard this saying on a commercial over the radio for Carabba's one day and thought, "Wow, this guy is really onto something." No, I did not have a sudden urge to turn around and find a great meal of Italian cuisine, or a desperate need to travel to the Sicilian beach front, but a taste of hatred of sin in my mouth. How often and how easy it is to venture down the wrong path. Ken has often quoted this and it has really changed my outlook on the way that I view many things: "What we tolerate today will become acceptable tomorrow."
I have been searching for scriptures that deal with this, and have found that they are too plentiful to begin to put them all in here. Almost all of the Old Testament is a message to Israel to turn from their sin and worship their God and keep his Sabbath and Laws. One case that I think is particularly applicable is the story of David. For those of you who came to VBS last year, you may remember Steve J. teaching our class a couple of days. One of his lessons was concerning David, and how the situation with Bathsheba was not a one-time shortfall, but the natural progression of a series of sins. David had been committing several "small," less notable, sins all throughout his time as king. This situation caused his protective wall of spiritual discernment to be down, until eventually he was in position for a great fall. He saw Bathsheba (While his men were at war and he was not), wanted her, took her, found out she was with child, and arranged for her husband to be killed after Uriah (her husband) was unwilling to sleep with his wife (because of his devotion to David and Israel's army). You see an obvious pattern of gazing, longing, tasting, and more tasting.
As followers of the Lord, we need to be mindful what we allow to come into our lives. While we are on the internet; while we are listening to the radio; while we are watching tv; while we are reading magazines. Everything that comes into our mind influences us in some way. Even if there is not an immediate sin or action, it will do one of two things: tear us down or build us up. Christ has bought us with a great price: His Life. It is no longer us who lives, but Christ who lives in us. We have died to ourselves. In Luke 9, Christ asks us what does it profit a man to gain the whole world yet forfeits his soul? Jim Elliot once said "He is no fool to give up what he could never keep, to gain what he could never earn.
Colossions 3 gives us several lists of things to put us on a path to putting on righteousness. Not for our own sake, but to glorify Christ. There are two lists of actions and characteristics that we should not associate ourselves with, and we are instructed to put off these things (Col 3:5-11). But in Col 3:12-17 we are given the characteristics of the "New Man" that we are in Christ, and are instructed to let love be our bond and to let the Peace of God rule in our hearts.
If in fact, we do these things, and seek the kingdom of God, and make intentional efforts to be in His word and be in fellowship with one another, we will be successful in fighting off our sinful nature and avoid the great fall that so many Christians find themselves in. This is not to say that we will not sin, but we will be in a better position to pull ourselves up after one sin and not allow our appetite for sin to consume us. Grace and peace, hope everyone is having a great week. -Bubba

Practical Christianity

I read this yesterday and just wanted to share it with you:

 

"I am impressed with the wonder of what God says, but He cannot expect me really to live it out in the details of my life!" When it comes to facing Jesus Christ on His own merits, our attitude is one of pious superiority -Your ideals are high and they impress us, but in touch with actual things,it cannot be done."

 

This is from Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for his highest. He is making the point that many people are like this, even those who say they are Christians. The call to be a Christian must be lived out "in the details of life." The call to follow Jesus is a call to die to your own desires, and a call to allow Christ to live in your life. The Bible says, "I have been crucified with Christ..." This must be something that we take seriously, but too often we take it lightly. We regard the command of Christ as no more than a good suggestion. I pray that we would all seek to be conformed to the image of Christ no matter what the cost.

 

--BD

Different Song and Dance (wrap up of Wednesday Bible Study 2/25)

Another day, another post. It is in the plans to continue this trend into at least Friday. Keep coming back and we'll keep posting. Stop coming, and we'll post anyways, just in case.
Tonight we had our weekly study in Exodus, chapter 34. I will begin by stating that it is not possible for me to do the lesson justice with anything that I write. Bobby may just be the only person who could review the lesson accurately. But I will give it a try.
Exodus 34 Begins with Moses up on Mount Sinai with the LORD, just after he had come down and broken the tablets on the golden calf that Aaron made for the people, and Moses (in accordance with the Lord's command) had the people kill everyone among them whom would not follow the LORD. The command was then given for the people to leave Sinai and head out to the wilderness. All of that said, the first half of chapter 34 is a reiteration of the covenant that the Lord had originally made with the people, and Moses cut out two more tablets for the Lord to write the Law on them. Most of our lesson was really spent in the second part of the chapter, from verses 29 and on to the end of the chapter. When Moses came down from his time with the LORD, his face shined brightly (or shone brightly, not sure the proper wording here.) It was so bright that Moses had to veil his face to speak with the people, so that he would not frighten them. And whenever he would go into the presence of the LORD, he would remove the veil so the people would be able to see that Moses had been in the presence of God.
And it was on this point Bob laid the foundation for the lesson. Many of us know someone that when you see this person or are around them, it is very evident the Lord is present in their life, so much so that it just overflows in absolute joy. Even on the worst of days, they have joy. And there are times when those around us who know that we are believers will be quick to point out that something we say or do is not in accord with how we should be, because our joy is not measured by things that can change on a daily or minutely basis. Our joy is anchored in the everlasting glory of God, and that Christ has died for our sins and forgiven us by His grace. This will never change, and should always be the source of our joy.
With that in mind, we are to be missionaries where we are. I think many of us have that in mind. But we are also to be ministering to one another whenever we gather, and that can often fall between the cracks. We joke about tv shows, brag about who has the best roster in fantasy football, gossip about what is the latest news around church, or just gather to do something and just neglect this Eternally Great Bond that we share with one another, which should be the very center of our gatherings at all time. Amongst believers, there shouldn't be a struggle to get the conversation to turn to the things of the Lord. I personally fall short far too often in all of these areas. And by no means do I mean to stop watching tv, stop playing fantasy football, and not gather to play video games and other such events, but that does not need to be our focus on the evening. Our testimonies on what we have been reading in Scripture, or what the Lord is doing in our lives may be just what somebody needs to hear to get out of spiritual depression. You may be reading something the Lord desires for everyone around you to hear. Check that, you are reading something the Lord desires for everyone around you to hear. If we will simply open up to one another and grow as one body, loving and encouraging, and admonishing (holding accountable) when necessary, evangelism will come natural. People will see our love for one another and desire to come to that.
And another point before I end, we discussed 1 John, chapter 3, talking about light and darkness, and what association does light have with darkness. They are two distinct things. A room is either light and you can see what is around, or it is dark and you are tripping around and can't see anything around you. As we are amongst unbelievers, we must maintain our light, and be a light to them. If we are conforming to the groups we once hung with and fall into the sins we once were enslaved to, we are doing them, ourselves, and most devastatingly, Christ a great injustice. We have been set free from sin and been entrusted to the Gospel to be ambassadors of the Gospel of Christ, and Christ's "aroma" to this world. Let us live each day with this in mind. Grace and peace. -Bubba.

Mixed Reviews (Visitation 2/23)

Several things before I start. One) What does everyone think about the color scheme on this page? Personally, I have an opinion, and would like to know what everyone else thinks to see if I'm in the minority. Two) The other people responsible for posting on this site need to tighten up and update... If we update, they will come. Maybe, it worked for the guy in "Field of Dreams".
All of that said, we were back on the beaten path and on knocking on doors on Monday night (literally, we were down a gravel path behind Wendell Elementary). One group met much opposition to the gospel, the other had several welcoming visits (you can probably guess who was in each group based on the description.)
Group 1 met with several houses, and did not even get to have as much as a conversation with any of them. They met one lady who was a believer in the LORD but was preparing dinner or something along those line and couldn't speak with the group. One house went to a baptist church in Zebulon, and though they told us they go to church, we were ran off of the porch. The wife did not know why or if she was saved, and her husband (a large, impatient and rude man) would not let the group share the good news of eternal life with her. While we may have just caught them on a bad night or at a bad time, there was no love shown for us whatsoever. And as a husband with a wife unable to speak of her faith and unwilling to let people talk to her about it, I would venture to say there was very little love shown to her as well. Be praying for them and families like them. There were several no answers and some people who asked the group to come back. There was also a woman who did not wish to speak with the group, and upon the group leaving as she had requested, she called the police (which is becoming commonplace on Monday nights, unfortunately). The group did have a good conversation with the police officer.
Group 2 had much more immediate satisfaction type visits. The first house this group went to was Lauren's new house in Wendell (welcome to civilization Lauren!). The group was there for awhile, and had fellowship with Lauren and her friend Sarah. Upon leaving there, the group walked down into the cul de sac and met with Frank and his family. They have lived in Wendell for, no exaggeration, less than a week. They moved here from somewhere north (Virginia I believe) and are interested in finding a church. After directions were made clear (the basics like Food Lion, 97, crazy intersection as you leave Wendell are less basic when people are that new to the area), they anticipate visiting HBC as soon as they get moved in and comfortable, and I am confident we will as a Ministry go back there to visit with them and help them any way possible, spiritual or physical.
So that is the low down on this weeks visitation. Look forward to many posts in the coming days. There are 3 scheduled to happen in the next 2 days. Also, be in prayer for our ministry as we make efforts to love one another in a greater way, and become more involved in one anothers lives. Read my post last week (the one under this post) for more information. Be in prayer for our church as we are starting the new Sunday School curriculum this week, that it will be a blessing for the spiritual growth of us as a whole, and that we can grow and effectively minister to the community and one another. Be in prayer for our Spring Retreat coming up in just over a month. It will be here before we know it! And in everything we do, let us be the "aroma of Christ", glorifying God in our lives, and making it abundantly clear that we are the Light of the World! Grace and Peace. - Bubba

A Different Approach (Monday Night 2/16/09)

Monday night, for the second straight week, we did not go door to door with the Gospel. Last week several people were busy or ill or any number of things, but excuses aside, it was a week of rest. This past week (2/16) we went a different direction with our evangelism. While we spend much time and effort (rightfully so, in my view) in outreach to the community and trying to let every ear hear the Good News that Christ is risen (and if we will simply die to ourselves and hear His call for us to have Life and Life abundant, then we will be saved thanks to God's grace and Christ's righteousness being put in our place), I think we often neglect to reach out to one another within the ministry and meet our own needs, physical and spiritual.
I am not saying that we need to look after ourselves first and others after that. Do not misunderstand me. That would be completely contrary to the teaching of the Bible and the example given to us by Christ. But as a ministry, if we are not filled with love, and filled with the Spirit, and are not of one accord with one another, then all of the evangelism in the world will not help us if people come to the church and do not find the Bride of Christ to be one unified body in love with it's Savior, and that love being demonstrated by love within itself. People will know that we are Christ's disciples by our love for another.
All of this being said, a group of us went to Meredith College to listen to a pretty awesome performance by our very own Becca (for sake of not putting last names on here, Olivia's sister. I do not think we have multiple Becca's or Rebecca's in our ministry, but to make sure people know of whom I am speaking, so that she gets proper credit for her talents). She is in what I believe is her last semester of a Music degree at Meredith, and had to do a voice recital as part of her graduation requirements. It would be a blessing to have her display her talent more often (also, Ive heard some pretty good instrumentals by her via Myspace), but this was possibly a one time opportunity, and given the opportunity to go and show support, the Monday night visitation group was excited to go and see her. As a ministry, we need to be more active in getting involved in one another's lives and interests, not just showing interest when people are coming in the doors on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.
You may notice a trend in the future with a push for small groups and extra-church involvement with one another (by extra church, I do not mean more "church" as in the building, but outside of "church" as in the building), so that we can really impact the world around us where we are. It is difficult to persuade the world that we as Christians love and care for them, as opposed to pseudo-Christians and hypocrites, if we are simply inviting them to things where we meet and gather and do Christian things, but if we will take the church beyond the walls, and allow them to see us in their lives and how we are and who we are the the Love that binds us.... How great of a difference might that make? -Bubba

Pictures of some of your brothers and sisters

It is that time of the year when we post a couple of pictures of people in our church. These are instant classics. I know you all remember the picture of Bubba. Well here you go...

Our newest member:




Her man...

Trusting God to Provide a Title

Is it too early to begin reflecting on lessons learned in 2009? Perhaps this isn’t reflection as much as it is anticipation. Early indications suggest that this year brings with it a very specific theme; the need to trust in God’s provision. Sure it lacks creativity, and is not exactly an earth-shattering concept (or is it?). The West’s most powerful economy is in shambles, while war rages in the Middle East. Unemployment is on the rise, while job-security is on the decline. One is hard-pressed to find a person untouched by lay-offs and market downturns. America is on shaky ground financially. Shaky finances lead to shaky lifestyles. Nevertheless, Paul writes in 1st Timothy 6:

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into
this world, and it is certain[c]
we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we
shall be content… Command those who are rich in this present age not to be
haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us
richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works,
ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for
the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.[1]

“And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” In shaky financial times, plans quickly change. Things that were concrete in 2008 are now a thick soupy mud. Constants are questionable. And life’s typical speed-bumps are mighty mountains this year, requiring supernatural navigation to climb and conquer. This year has already been characterized by last second, long lasting decisions, similar to a movie that features a loudly beeping bomb and a nervous bomb-disarmer who must decide whether to cut the red or blue cord. Even when I cut the figurative cord and the figurative bomb remains dormant, I’m left to ponder the possibility of a delayed explosion. I have already been assured that I should expect more last-minute loud-beeping bomb-like decisions as 2009 trudges along. It’s like my future is looking back hoping I’ll make the right decision, while my past looks up and questions every move. I long to be content merely with food and clothing. Isn’t that the essence of trusting God?

Being content with the bare essentials affirms that we believe God is God. But when we strive for more material possessions and try to make our own way for the future we deny the very nature of God, and call into question His ability to satisfy our yearnings. As life’s ball of yarn unravels before our eyes our thoughts are consumed with making provisions to ensure that our quality of life is preserved. But is that necessary? Is it not the desire to preserve his quality of life that kept the Rich Young Ruler from embracing faith in Christ? Though he was a pious, self-proclaimed keeper of the law, he loved his riches more than God; and himself more than his neighbors, and walk away from Christ with sorrow.[2] To love God is to trust God. But trusting God is totally contrary to our nature. That is why men love money, because it offers them and opportunity to control their own destinies. And that is why the love of money is the root of all evil, because it denies the absolute sovereignty of Almighty God over man. But is it even possible to wholly trust God, and how much are we supposed to be proactive in our preparations for that with which we should be content?

Trust and faith are synonymous. In the second chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians he affirms that grace and faith are gifts from God. Therefore we can conclude that ability to trust God is itself a gift from God. But that does not answer the question of how proactive we should be in providing for and ensuring our futures. Should we simply sit and wait for manna to fall from the sky and water to spring forth from a rock? 1 Timothy 6:9-16:

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness,
faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold
on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good
confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of
God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good
confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot,
blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His
own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord
of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no
man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

Flee from the love of material things and run toward Jesus; in him exists all righteousness godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Lay hold on eternal life in God who gives life to all things. Trust in the supreme and only potentate, the One who dwells in unapproachable and indescribable light. The only reasonable answer to the question at hand is to trust God. Perhaps that does not on the surface offer any practical assistance, but practical assistance is not the goal-trusting God is. In order to trust God we must set our minds on the things above[3] and walk worthy of the gospel, only then we will know exactly how proactive we must be, if proactive at all. Otherwise we can keep striving to provide for ourselves as the foolish man chases after the wind.

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things
above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with
Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will
appear with Him in glory.”-Colossians 3:1-4

[1] 1 Timothy 6:6-8; 17-19
[2] Matthew 19; Mark 10; Luke 18
[3] Colossians 3

-Gary

Outline of Matthew 25-26 (Not original with me)

This starts with what we left off with last week. Once again, this is from the website www.founders.org.

Three parables concerning preparedness for the Lord’s return (24:45-25:30): the Parable of the Wise Steward, the Parable of the Ten Virgins, and the Parable of the Talents. Each of these little stories illustrates Jesus’ point about the blessedness of being prepared for his Second coming and the foolishness of being unprepared.

D. The Final Judgment (25:32-46): When the Lord comes in his glory, he will effect a great separation among the inhabitants of the world. Like a shepherd separating sheep and goats, Jesus will divide the righteous and the wicked. The sheep, separated to the right (the position of honor and blessing), will b distinguished by their service to Christ through concrete ministry of compassion on the poor and hungry, and the goats, separated on the left will be marked by their disregard for the broken and needy. The righteous will enter into eternal life and the wicked will be consigned to eternal punishment.

I. Events Leading to the Crucifixion of Jesus (26:1-27:31)

A. The conspiracy of the religious leaders (26:1-5): All four Gospels reveal that this conspiracy intensified over a lengthy period, but, of course, the plot came to a crescendo during Passion Week. These were not genuinely misguided men. The text indicates that they knew exactly what they were doing, and they strategized stealthfully to carry out their sinister plan at an opportune moment.

B. The anointing of Jesus at Bethany (26:6-13): Three gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, and John record this story. A devoted disciple of Jesus, a woman named Mary, approached Jesus as he ate the evening meal in the house of a Simon the Leper. John tells us that Martha and Lazarus, Jesus’ old friends, helped host the gathering. I appears that the Mary mentioned in John’s account was the sister of these siblings from Bethany. A. T. Robertson argued persuasively that Bible students should not confuse this story with the narrative in Luke 7:36-50. The disciples responded poorly to the worshipful act Mary. They grew indignant and criticized Mary for her devoted extravagance toward the Master (John points out the central role Judas played in this criticism). Jesus, however, met their disapproval with a firm commendation of Mary’s memorable act, an act that symbolized the impending death of the Savior.

C. Jesus’ observance of the Passover with the disciples (26:14-35)

1. the plot of Judas (vv. 14-16): Judas, stung by Jesus’ rebuke of the disciples’ criticism of Mary, conspired with the Jewish leaders to betray Jesus into their hands. John pointedly mentioned that Satan entered Judas as he carried out his unthinkable scheme.

2. the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (vv. 17-29): Traditionally, the Jews observed a special meal on the evening before Passover, and Jesus appears to combine the two observances. As the disciples ate the meal, Jesus tacitly identified Judas as his betrayer; then, the Lord instituted the eucharist (New Testament term for the thanksgiving meal--see I Corinthians 11:24), and enjoined a commemorative ordinance still observed by God’s people today.

3. Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denial (vv. 30-35): As Jesus’ and his disciples walked to the Mount of Olives, the Lord predicted that his followers would abandon him, in his hour of trail. Peter, impetuous as always, bristled at the Lord’s words, and Jesus observed that the impulsive disciple would deny the Master three times.

D. Jesus’ Prayer in Gethsemane and Betrayal by Judas (26:36-56)

1. Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane (vv. 36-46): The Lord prepared for his passion through prayer. The disciples accompanied the master to Gethsemane, but, oblivious to the impending crisis, they fell asleep as Jesus prayed. Peter, James, and John followed Jesus to a secluded place, but they dozed as the Savior agonized. We do not know how the drowsy disciples knew the content of Jesus’ prayer, but all three Synoptic Gospels record the Lord’s words. The weight of a world of sin pressed upon him, and he asked that the cup of God’s wrath might pass from him; nevertheless, he submitted to the Father’s sovereign design. This passage gives some insight into the mysteries of the Lord’s humanity and deity.

2. Judas’ betrayal of Jesus (vv. 47-56): As previously arranged, Judas betrayed the Lord by a kiss. One of the disciples (John identifies Peter) drew a sword and struck off the ear of the high priest’s servant (John says his name was Malchus). The Lord, pf course, rebuked Peter for his violent act and reminded the violent disciple that those who live by the sword will die by the sword. Matthew pointed out that a large crowd of armed men came to arrest him, and, in the face of this intimidating circumstance, the disciples ran away.

E. Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas (26:57-68): The men who arrested the Lord took him to the high priest, and the religious authorities produced false witnesses who brought spurious charges against Jesus. Finally, Caiaphas asked Jesus about his identity, and Jesus answered with an unmistakable claim of deity. The high priest, outraged at Jesus’ response, pronounced Jesus guilty and deserving of death on the charge of blasphemy. The religious leaders spat on the Lord and mocked him.

F. Peter’s denial of Jesus (26:69-75): As Jesus predicted, Peter three times denied his connection with the Lord, the last denial in the form of an oath. Peter, broken by his weakness, wept bitterly.

Pictures from Honduras

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
-Romans 10:14-15

Here are some Honduras pictures for those of you who have not seen them. I had to steal these from Gary and post them, because Gary is "so busy" that he can't do it himself. Two downloaded programs later, I have stole them from his Facebook page. I hope you are all doing well. To be honest, it was a very difficult trip (on many different levels), and I think we have all recovered (to some extent). Without further delay... enjoy...





















For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."
-Romans 10:11

The Great Exchange

Martin Luther calls 2 Corinthians 5:21 “The Great Exchange.” Paul writes, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” It is indeed as Luther suggests a great exchange. The eternally existent Jesus-the One through whom all things were created and currently consist, did not consider equality with God something to be attained, but is the eternally blessed God-became sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.[1]

It is important to note and meditate on the verses prior which indicate that one who is in Christ is a “new creation.” When Paul writes that he became sin “for us,” we are those who are in Jesus-believers who have been, “crucified with Christ.”[2] It is not just anyone who can lay claim to this amazing verse, but only those who have received the birth of the Spirit that Jesus speaks of in John chapter three. But if one professes to be a Christian then he claims this verse. He became sin-Jesus was not merely subjected to the savage scourging of the Romans, the crown of thorns, nails in his hands, nails in his feet, and slow painful suffocation-but on Him was placed the iniquity of us all. Christ suffered as a serial murderer, someone who hunted and killed other human beings for pleasure’s sake. He suffered as a white-lying hypocrite, and a Sunday-saint living like hell on Saturday. He suffered as a career prostitute, and a wicked slave master. He suffered as one who captures children to sell for sexual favors, and a money launderer that depletes the hard-earned retirement funds of the average working man. He suffered as one who worships objects fashioned by the hands of man, and an atheist who denies the existence of any heavenly being. He suffered as one who loves money more than his God or fellow man, and one who preaches that Godliness is congruent with handsome material gain. He suffered as a rapist, and a thief. To quote Shai Linne, “I could write for a billion years and still can’t name, all of the sins placed on the Lamb slain.” Consider that this suffering is equal to the penalty incurred by the sin, namely eternal damnation. Our sin warranted eternal punishment, thus it was necessary for our savior to be eternal. Christ suffered the full penalty for the sin of those who believe, becoming sin on our behalf.

Christ became sin; we became righteousness-the great exchange. Shall we go on sinning so that grace may abound? Perish the thought![3] This is the new life; we have been crucified with Christ, buried and raised with Him in newness of life.[4] It is therefore a dangerous thing to consider someone a “carnal Christian.” If one’s passion is for the flesh then he is indeed of the flesh. Sin is death. Christ did not become sin on our behalf so that we could continue dying, but so that we could live and live abundantly. Believers are the righteousness of Christ through Him who became sin, thus freed from the oppression of fleshly desire. We are free to live abundantly, content even with food and clothing, because we are God’s. Can the wonder of helpless sinners being reconciled to God be overstated?

When contemplating this great exchange it is imperative to remember that not everyone participates. In fact most do not. Most fail to submit to the gospel and receive the new birth and; thus remain in their sin. One must also remember that the exchange is not done by human hands. The Father placed His wrath on the Son, who became sin on our behalf, and the Father then imputes Christ’s righteousness to us. It is not our righteousness, or our work that we can boast in, but Christ alone is our boast. If we are indeed His then we ought to love our neighbor as He commanded, not that we might rigorously earn what has already been paid for, but because loving Christ entails loving our neighbor-the two are inseparable. Also we ought to revile sin in our lives. We ought not tolerate our sin, allow it to fester and grow; but we must mortify sin by the Spirit. We ought not to tolerate sin in the lives of our brethren, but in love we must mortify sin in the Church as well. Not as haughty Pharisees lording our righteousness over others as if we have earned it our self, but as family holding one another accountable for their own sake and the family’s-knowing that it is Christ who became sin on our behalf that we might become His righteousness.

We ought not to take lightly the work Christ has done, becoming sin so that we might become righteousness. Let us celebrate His tremendous gift, while humbly remaining aware of its implications. By the Spirit let us strive for holiness, not conforming to the pattern of this world, but nevertheless loving those living in the world-caring for them as Christ did.


"Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” -John 3:5-8



[1] See Philippians 2; John 1; Colossians 1, 2; and Romans 9 for scriptural proof that all these things are indeed true of Jesus.
[2] Galatians 2:21
[3] See Romans 6:1-2
[4] Romans 6:3-11ish

"Paul Washer Preaching"

Not sure if the first one worked. This sermon starts with a great section about Holy Hip Hop and ends with a message that may very well shake the foundations of our basic thoughts and the way I share the Gospel. Paul washer sermon.

HBC YAM Facebook Group!

I am almost certain that this message ultimately affects nobody... but for Bobby and Gary... well Bobby.... here is an update. I have made the HBC YAM facebook group... still not sure the best way to do blogs on there other than people clicking on the site from there... but there are discussion boards and the wall and events... Im going to make the two of you and coop as well admins on there if possible. We'll see how that works. Anyone else reading, add yourself to the group. If you didn't get an invite, its an open group so just join. Any questions, contact me. Grace and Peace.
Oh, and First Friday is this Friday at 8 if anyone was interested. Hope to see you there.
- Bubba

Christian Beware (Monday Visitation 2/2/09)

Monday night visitation was once again a blessing. Being down once again in numbers, the Lord did place us where we needed to be and used us as His messengers. We spoke to a gentleman who was very intelligent and well read, and knew more about history than probably anyone in our ministry. He also seemed to have read a lot in Scripture. He knew most of the passages that we brought up... but something just did not sit right. He gave us one of the most works based answers Ive ever heard as to how he was going to make it to Heaven. Ordinances, Laws, Obedience, leading his family, and a slew of other things, faith not being a path. After we talked to him about what we think the Bible says about salvation and faith in Christ, and he immediately agreed. That may sound good, but if you had been there you would have seen that he appeared just to be agreeing to move on to the next topic. We (he) talked about a whole variety of topics, and the topic moved from the gospel as often as he could get it away. Coop continued to try to bring the conversation back to something meaningful.
As we were getting ready to leave (late I might add), we asked him where he attended fellowship, if he did at all. And to our surprise, he answered Church of Latter Day Saints (mormon). He did not reveal this or any real clue to it the whole visit. He went along with our sayings, held conversation, and never said anything about the other doctrines of his "church."
This is a dangerous thing. It is also what many pseudo Christian groups try to do. They want to look, sound and act as much like Christians as possible to lure people away from the faith. They have words that sound like ours (Godhead, Trinity, salvation, atonement, heaven, Christ) but take on an entirely different meaning. We need to be cautious when in these conversations, and adamant about defining terms before using them. I discussed last week about our need to know what we believe and why. We need to be prepared to give a defense for the hope that is within us.
One other side note, this gentleman said he started going to the LDS because he is an inquisitive person, and they answered his questions while many others would not. We must love our neighbors, in all times. If someone knows you to be a believer and comes to you with a question or situation, it is not just their problem. It just became your problem. If you can't help them or answer their question, help them get their solution or get back to them with an answer. Bear their burden, and let us bear one another's burdens. By this they will know that we are Christ's disciples, that we love one another. -Bubba

Preparation for Men's Sunday School

Guys look out for the following next week (aka study these chapters).

Matthew 23 and 24

Here is an outline from founders.org :

I.                    Jesus’ Lament for the Decadent Religious System of His Day (23:1-39):  He pronounced seven “woes” over the scribes and Pharisees, and, at the end of this chapter he expanded his lament to the entire city of Jerusalem.  He singles out the scribes and Pharisees as emblematic of the spiritual problems of the people, and these “woes” express both judgment and grief.

A.     Introduction to this discourse (vv. 1-12):

B.     Seven woes on the religious leaders (vv. 13-36):

C.     A sincere lament over Jerusalem (vv. 37-39):

II.     Foreshadowings of Things to Come (24:1-25:46)

A.     The setting of the Olivet Discourse (24:1-14):

1.      False Christs will arise who lead many astray (vv. 4-5).

2.      Cataclysmic events will characterize the period before the end of the age:

B.     The Abomination of Desolation (24:15-31):

C.     The dangers that attend the coming Day of the Lord (24:36-25:13)

1.      The danger of setting dates (24:36-44

2.      Three parables concerning preparedness for the Lord’s return (24:45-25:30):