Two Institutions Two Institutions Returning the Two Institutions of the Family and the Church back to a Biblical model. Articles
Knowing Your Loves
2007-06-11 19:00:00 In this space two weeks ago I mentioned a book that I had been reading by Steve Farrar titled, King Me. I will not use today as an opportunity to do an all out book review, but I did want to mention one of the more profound aspects that I read in this book.My wife and I are both reading through the book of 1 Samuel right now for our quiet times. This is a great book and loaded with much personal application. Within the first 8 chapters we see one common trait of the men who were the spiritual leaders of Israel; they were terrible fathers.In the lives of both Samuel and Eli we see that they were men who had very ungodly offspring. The first thought that I have on this is why? How could men who were called to lead God's people in the way they worshipped Him, not lead their families? Farrar makes a keen observation in his book; these two men loved the ministry more than they loved their families."God said his (Eli's) most important work was in the home. But he loved the ministry more... More About: Knowing
Accountability: Only The Weak Kneed It!
2007-06-07 21:52:00 Today's post is dedicated to one of my personal heroes, Wilber, who normally would be writing today. He is at home watching his two small boys so that his several months pregnant wife could take a much deserved break and go on a little retreat. So between being a good dad and having Internet service provider issues, he is prevented from posting and you are stuck with me.One of the reasons Wilber is my hero apart from his obvious devotion to his wife and family is the fact that tonight after he puts the boys to bed he could be at home resting with the whole house to himself. He would have it made. No wife, no kids, sole possession of the remote control, and peace and quiet. Does Wilber save this time for himself, well he probably could, and there would be nothing wrong with that. What Wilber has chosen to do instead is to have me and a couple of other guy friends over for some fellowship, encouragement and accountability. Yes I said it the dreaded "A-word". . I know that many of you... More About: Accountability
You Were Born Into A World At War (Part Two)
2007-06-04 16:16:00 "A day may come when the courage of Men fails... when we forsake our friends, and break all bonds of fellowship... but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when all hope comes crashing down, but it is NOT this day! This day, we fight! For all that you hold dear, stand, Men of the West! "- Aragorn in Return of The KingIf ever there was a time when need to hear such a call to arms that time is now. It's disturbing and overwhelming how difficult it is to maintain just a semblance of a godly life in the culture in which we live. There is so much competing for our attention and what makes it even more dangerous is that not all of the options are bad. It takes discipline (something that I lack greatly) to be able to pass over the good and the better for the best. The only means for doing this is to renew your mind and the means for doing that is to do daily spiritual warfare.Before I share some practical Scriptural helps on doing daily spiritual warfare, let me mak... More About: World , Part , Were
You Were Born Into A World At War (Part One)
2007-05-31 16:09:00 A few years ago, I had the distinct honor and privilege to be the youth pastor at a small church in the German state of Thuringen. While my job dealt primarily with students, I was also able to get to know many of the older folks as well. One man, his name was Wolfgang Walther, had been a member of this church since he was a young man. What was interesting about Wolfgang is that he had served under Erwin Rommel in North Africa during World War II. He was a very godly man who was also a great storyteller. I loved to hear him talk about his experiences in the war. He knew what it was like to deal with the daily duty of going to war. Even Wolfgang for all his experiences, however, would gladly admit that the carnage and danger caused by World War II cant compare to the war that is raging this very minute in the room in which you are seated. It?s easy not to want to admit it or deal with it, but like it or not you were born into a world at war. This war began thousands of years ago in h... More About: Part , Were
A Great Re-Awakening
2007-05-29 15:22:00 Rest is good for the soul. It is good for many other things as well, but rest is most definitely good for the soul. I love long weekends. I love them because I am able to spend them with my wife and children. I love them because when my three year old asks me if I can stay with him at home all day, I don't have to tell him no. I love them because my 7 month pregnant wife gets the much needed relief of having an extra set of hands to help her with our two sons. There are many reasons why I love long weekends, but aside from the most important ones already listed, I love them because I get to read!In this Memorial Day weekend I read and finished a book by Steve Farrar titled King Me and began a biography on William Wilberforce titled Amazing Grace, by Eric Metaxas. The Farrar book is great and a must read if you are a father of boys. I will comment more on that book at a later time. However, today's post has to do with some things I read in just the first 60 or so pages of the Wilbe... More About: Great , Awake , Awakening
Some Numbers To Think About
2007-05-24 16:31:00 I know that I?ve railed against the use of numbers in evaluating ministry. I stand by what I?ve said and I still believe that many pastors are practicing a cult of numbers. Just listen to a couple of pastors talk and time them to see how long it takes for one to ask the other, ?Whatcha running?? There are some numbers, however, that are useful in measuring your success. In fact, if these numbers are bad then you can mark it down that you are headed for a train-wreck in your ministry. The numbers that I am referring to are numbers like:The number of hours you spend each week loving your wife as Christ loved the churchThe number of hours of undivided attention you give your children each weekThe number of times you sit the family down together for a meal and talk and have funThe number of times a week you and your family spend time reading the Bible and praying togetherThe number of times you pray for your wife and children each weekIt is tragic to see a pastor grow a ministry where s... More About: Numbers , Some , Number
A Void Needs to be Filled
2007-05-21 15:42:00 What began as a glorious week when I typed in this space last Monday, took an abrupt turn around lunchtime on Tuesday. A man that I have the utmost respect for and many a differing view from, passed away. Dr. Jerry Falwell went home to be with his Savior last week. He will be missed, and as Billy Graham and others have commented, his passing leaves a vacuum in the evangelical world.As I stated last Monday my wife and I are both graduates of Liberty University. I am proud of my education and I am never embarrassed to claim Liberty as my Alma mater. Many who might read this blog might be left with the impression that my views on ministry differ from those of Liberty. You would be correct to assume that. Especially here lately I have been very disillusioned about some of the rhetoric that has been flowing freely from Liberty mountain. Most of the talk was not from Doc himself, but eventually he too joined in.The difference between me growing disillusioned with Liberty and not with Dr. ... More About: Needs
Separation Anxiety
2007-05-17 18:01:00 If there was one distinct message, apart from the gospel itself, that was championed from the pulpit of my childhood it was separation. How often our pastors and especially our visiting evangelists would camp on this issue and give us a list of things to avoid. I suppose I grew up learning more about what I shouldn't do than what I should do. Like any good pharisee in training my identity in Christ was more about what I didn't do than how well I knew Him. Unfortunately, I see this phenomena still occurring in many evangelical churches today.Let me make it clear that I am not a neo-evangelical or an ecumenist. I don't believe in compromising essential doctrine. I will go on record as saying that I am personally disturbed by books like Ecumenical Jihad by Peter Kreeft. In fact, I'm probably one of the few evangelicals who is willing to openly admit aversion to Kreeft's reckless call for ecumenism. That being said, I think evangelicals have practiced separation to the point of re... More About: Separation , Separation Anxiety , Anxiety
Farewell To A Servant Of God
2007-05-15 21:06:00 It is with much sadness that I make this special tribute to a man that will be sorely missed. Shortly after noon today Rev. Jerry Falwell went home to be with the Lord. His untimely death will be mourned by many people in the coming days.Jerry Falwell was a man of vision and determination. He wasn't always right but he never let his failures keep him from dreaming how God could use him to be salt and light in a very dark and tasteless world. He knew what it mean to lay it all on the line for the kingdom.On a more personal note, Jerry Falwell is a big part of why I decided to pursue ministry as a vocation. I grew up an independent, fundamental, Bible-believing, King Jimmy only Baptist. I remember getting home from church every Sunday night and making grilled cheese sandwiches and watching the Old Time Gospel Hour. I would listen as Jerry railed against sin and compromise. When you are forbidden to go to movies or watch much TV, you have to find your heroes where you can. For me, I w... More About: Farewell , Fare , Well
The Reality of Life
2007-05-14 15:53:00 I'm a southern man. Not in the Neil Young sense of the term, but in the Lynyrd Skynyrd sense of the term. Although not my home now, Alabama will always be Sweet Home to me. It was where my life began. It was where I first began to fall in love with my Savior. It was where I was introduced to idolatry at an early age(Alabama football still at times can be today). It was also where I first experienced the reality that the modern evangelical church is screwed up! When I went away to college my Sophomore year, I was beyond poorly prepared to know what I believed and why I believed it. I had been told knowing what I believe was important, but I had never been taught why. Instead what I was taught was here is the mainstream line of what you should believe and to deviate from this line will lead you to error. There was no application of Philippians 2:12-13 being taught from the pulpit of my church. How dare I even begin to search out my own salvation with fear and trembling? I mean, that ... More About: Life , Reality , Ality
Modern Abuses From An Old Play-Book
2007-05-10 22:41:00 Long ago the ancient, Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero said:But not to know what happened before you were born - that is to be forever a child.I?m inclined to agree with Cicero in this respect, repeating the mistakes of the past is the epitome of immaturity. We have set ourselves up to fall for some of Satan?s oldest devices because we fail to inform ourselves of a basic understanding of our own history.The evidence of this historical abandonment becomes painfully clear when you compare the modern evangelical church with its medieval Roman counterpart. Some of the very things that led Luther, Calvin, Knox, and others to offer up their lives to defend are being cast aside with shameful indifference. Consider the following examples:1. Many evangelical church pastors encourage their members in Biblical illiteracy by dumbing down sermons, not expecting people to bring or use their Bibles, creating a pastoral dependence for scriptural interpretation, or by brow-beating their member... More About: Play , Book , Modern
Humble, Servant Leadership
2007-04-30 15:55:00 Humble, servant leadership. Three very simple, yet very profound words. In my opinion, this is what the church today is lacking. Now before you assume (we know what happens when we do that) that I am going to glory in my self-deprecation, let me make it abundantly clear that I am one of the most prideful and arrogant people I know. Don't argue this point with me or I will be forced to prove that fact to you. My point is that in our quest to be humble servants, many of us have in fact become egotistical demagogues. We enjoy the praise that comes with our service so much that we develop a false humility for the sole purpose of receiving more praise. When this happens, we have turned our hearts to the praise of men and away from the Glory of Christ. We seek to make our "low position" greater than it was ever intended. We begin to become the show. We begin to live John 3:30 in reverse, where we increase more and more and Christ increases less and less. That verse is one of ... More About: Leadership , Ship , Lead , Humble , Leader
Abraham Or The Pope
2007-04-26 20:44:00 I am often in awe of how God fathers us in His own kind, providential, way. If you are disposed to watch and to listen, the Lord will teach you unexpected lessons in unexpected ways. This has become especially clear to me in the area of tradition and “convictions”. I have been conditioned by my spiritual upbringing. That means that many of the traditions and “convictions” that I hold to have been handed to me by parents, pastors, evangelists, Sunday school teachers, etc. Some of these things I hold to because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are true. I know this because the whole counsel of Scripture makes it clear. Then, there are other things that I practice, defend, and even shame others into believing. Such things God, like He did with Abraham , reveals to me that are my conclusions and not His. Through the years, the list of things in that former category become dearer and dearer and the things in the latter category grow frivolous and almost embarrassin... More About: Pope
What are we talking about?
2007-04-23 17:09:00 My first introduction to the term Two Institutions, was approximately 3 years ago. Now, I'm quite sure the concepts were ingrained in my head since I was a wee little tike, but it wasn't until three years ago that I finally connected the dots. There are only two institutions mandated by God in scripture, the family and the church. Try as hard as you like and you will not find any others. And that is where the problem begins. We live in a culture that will try and make an institution out of just about anything. Most notably we see this in the area of education. Most all universities are known as "institutions" of higher learning. This may be a topic for another day, but I find it interesting and not a coincidence that one of the original intentions of these "institutions" was to provide training and understanding of the real institutions. Once again we must face the fact that we are moving further and further away from the way it was designed to be.Beginning in Genesis 1 we... More About: Talking , King
The Inconvenience of Grace
2007-04-19 15:45:00 If there is one great casualty in the war for the hearts of God’s people, it is a proper understanding of Biblical terminology. Satan is a master at exploiting our thoughts and separating us from a proper understanding of such concepts as faith, love, and grace. At some point in the fight we allowed our understanding of grace to be affected by something other than God’s Word. I have seen this demonstrated so vividly in some churches where grace becomes a great inconvenience.Now before you reach for the tar and feathers, hear me out. Grace as defined in the context of salvation is alive and well in all of but the most liberal of churches (most of whom would write us off based on our core beliefs). The aspect of grace that I see as being omitted or inconvenient in many ministries across this country is that which should play a prominent role in the work of sanctification. The phrase that best typifies this aspect of grace is, “this church really practices an environment of grace...
What's wrong with us? Part 2
2007-04-16 16:35:00 What's wrong with us? We are not operating from a biblical model. We are not operating in conjunction with the two institutions. In a blog post in March, Dr. Albert Mohler touched on this subject. One key comment from the article that Dr. Mohler referenced is that there was once a time when family time and church time were one and the same. Why is that not the case today? Instead of pointing fingers, I feel each side needs to look at themselves in the mirror. Why would families avoid the church? I'll give three brief suggestions. One, the church today cares more about competition than authentic community. Second, the church today cares more about numerical growth than the Glory of God. Finally, the church today cares more about the name on the door than the banner of Christ. The very church that Christ shed His blood to redeem has become a harlot bride being led away by self concious, self absorbed men and sometimes women. When people know that they are nothing more th... More About: Part , Wrong , With U
What's wrong with us? Part 1
2007-04-12 15:45:00 My love of scripture probably began while participating in Bible drills when I was a kid. Every Sunday night while I was in 4th, 5th and 6th grade, our team of drillers would meet to practice and prepare for our church, associational and state competitions. I'm not sure if it was fueled by my competitive nature or not, but I was a state winner in 4th grade and a state winner perfect in 5th and 6th grade, which is as close to perfection as I'll ever come on earth. Many lessons and memories from Bible drills have stuck with me, but one stands above the rest. On the cover of the pamphlet provided by our state association each year was this verse:2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth."The context of that verse is simple. Timothy was struggling and Paul was writing to encourage him to not forsake the teaching of sound doctrine. People were looking to Timothy to equip them and Timothy needed to be ... More About: Part , Wrong , With U
The Lost Art Of Discipleship
2007-04-09 16:32:00 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."- Matthew 28:19-20 NASBThese words were the last thing that Jesus uttered before He returned to heaven. We all know them as the "Great Commission". In this charge, Christ laid out a specific plan for what He wanted his followers to do. There is no ambiguity, there is no second guessing. Jesus wanted those who followed behind Him to make disciples. Yet, despite the self-explanatory nature of Jesus command, for many churches this passage becomes the "Great Omission"While many churches like to think that they are accomplishing this task, the hard facts are that they are failing miserably. According to Avery Willis, author of the Master Life Disc ipleship Program:"... the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention reported losing 569,636 in discipleshi... More About: Lost , Ship , Discipleship
At Least US News & World Report Gets It!
2007-04-06 19:44:00 I felt compelled to follow-up my previous post by recommending that you read an interview conducted by U.S. News and World Repo rt with Dr. Stephen Prothero head of the department of religion at Boston University. Here is the article. I hate to say it but its pretty bad that a secular periodical and a state university religion professor has to point out what many "Bible Believing" churches refuse to admit. More About: Gets
At Least The Medievals Had An Excuse
2007-04-05 15:19:00 It's amazing what you can find on the shelves of your local Christian bookstore. What is even more amazing is the variety of shapes, sizes, colors, themes, and translations of Bibles available in the English language. If there is a subculture of any significance some publishing house somewhere will produce a bible for you. Don't get me wrong, I think that the availability of God's Word is an awesome thing. What does concern me, however, is that despite the easy access to the Truth, there is an alarming rise in Biblical illiteracy. The impact of this phenomena is evidenced in research conducted by the Barna Group. In an article from June 6, 2006 entitled, "Half of Americans Say Faith Has "Greatly Transformed" Their Life", Mr. Barna writes,"The faith journey of Americans is also clearly influenced by their age. "While we cannot tell if the distinction in people's journey is due to life stage or to cultural shifts over time, it is obvious that people under 25 are substantially less... More About: Vals , Excuse , Medieval
Welcome To Two Institutions
More articles from this author:2007-04-02 18:32:00 There are two God ordained institutions that should serve as the basis for society. We know these institutions as the Family and the Church. The models for how these institutions ought to work are laid out in Deuteronomy Chapter 6 (The Family) and in Acts 2:42 (The Church). The purpose for this blog is to inform you the reader how we as Christians have allowed Satan to distort our understanding of these institutions and how we can seek God's face to reclaim them as tools for building His kingdom.At the "Diet of Worms" in 1521 when asked by representatives of Pope Leo X to recant his works, Martin Luther replied:"Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason —I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other— my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe."This blog will rely on, as its basis for authority, the Word of God alone. It is our s... More About: Come , Institutions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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