A Different Kind of Message

This Sunday I will be preaching a different type of message. As we begin to close out the book of 1 Peter, we reach chapter 5:1-4.

"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: [2] shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; [3] not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. [4] And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. [5] Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:1-5 ESV)

Before Peter ends this letter to the persecuted church, he reminds both the shepherds of the church and the church itself how they are to interact with each other and live with each other. God has ordained pastors/elders and deacons to lead His church. They have a huge responsibility when it comes to shepherding the flock. They are to do so in accordance to God's will - not for their own glory, but for His. Likewise, the people are to humble themselves under this authority. There is tremendous grace in this way of thinking. Prepare yourself for this weekend and pray for me as I deliver this message. May we both be blessed because of it.

Making Disciples by Following Jesus

I’ve spent the last several months praying to God and asking Him to give me a vision for David Baptist Church for 2012. You should know that it’s normal for a pastor to receive a vision for God’s church but if the people do not buy into it then the vision will never be realized. As I’ve been praying about this, God has revealed anew to me several truths about His church:

First, every church exists because God has called to exist. Additionally, He allows them to continue to exist. I also believe that God allows unfruitful churches to close down as he “takes their lampstands” away from them as He warned in Revelation.

Secondly, I also believe that every church has one basic calling: to make disciples. This specific calling can be accomplished in a variety of ways. From helping the poor to witnessing to one’s neighbor, the process of making disciples is a never-ending one that includes many streams to fulfillment. Jesus has called the church to make disciples through loving others into His Kingdom.

This truth led me to think more about the main duty of the church in making disciples. Who makes disciples? Individual believers. And the primary calling of every individual believer is to follow Jesus. Following Jesus is not easy. It’s hard...but it’s well worth it. One look at Jesus’ life and it's clear that he called many. Some followed. Others refused.

The vision that I want you, the people of David Baptist Church, to take hold of in 2012 is that as a part of God’s church, you are called to make disciples. You can accomplish this as individuals by following Jesus as closely as possible.

I am going to spend much of the year preaching through the first eight chapters of the book of Acts. Then we're going to look at the seven churches of Revelation. As we learn about these churches of Jesus, let's meditate on how these individual believers made disciples by following Jesus.

Join me in making your personal 2012 slogan: “Making Disciples by Following Jesus.” It was what you were called by God to do when He saved you.

Christmas Message from Pastor Charlie

Living for Jesus

Christmas time is an awkward season for Christians. Most everyone knows that Jesus is indeed the reason for the season. However, the culture in which we live, caught up in the pursuit of not offending those with other religious beliefs, offend Christians instead by replacing Christmas greetings, slogans, and mentions with those of a generic "Happy Holidays."

I recently heard of one elementary school, which, during a reading of "T'was the Night Before Christmas" replaced the final line with: "Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night!" I'm pretty sure, Santa did not say that...

The awkwardness for Christians comes in how to respond to this blatant replacement. For too long Christians have been responding the wrong way. Getting angry at the culture, throwing virtual stones at it, and arguing with it with self-appointed "righteousness" doesn't do Jesus any favors. Peter says in his first epistle that believers are to give an answer for the hope that is in them "with gentleness and respect." Christians do not have to, nor should they, agree with "Christmas replacement" techniques. However, how they respond is of the utmost importance. By giving those opponents of Christmas joy the respect that they are due (being made in the image of God, as all people are) we bring honor to our Lord Jesus in the process. The end goal of this process should be to show and speak the Gospel into those people's lives so that they will see their need for redemption and one day honor Him as Lord too.

In your Christmas endeavors this week, respond to those negative promotions with gentleness and respect and honor Jesus in the process.

Suffering for Jesus: Honoring Him

One the hardest things to do when one is undergoing suffering is to honor Jesus in the process. Scripture clearly tells us in 1 Peter 3:14 that if a person suffers for Jesus' sake he will surely be blessed. How often do we think of suffering as being a blessing? Not very much. The reason we do not is because we have an identity crisis.

What do I mean by this? Before Jesus is Lord of our life, we are lord of our life. We essentially worship ourselves, our dreams, our visions, our hopes. However, when Jesus saves us, not only does he give us new life in Him, but he also reigns in us. This means that our old life passes away (along with our old allegiances). We now live for Jesus and not vice versa.

Many of the struggles that we face in this world are compounded by the faulty view that Christians are free to live for themselves now. No...a true believer in Jesus is called to be transformed and to orient his or or her life around the King.