Anthony George, the young pastor, is one of my sons in the ministry. Anthony was reached for Christ by a youth Sunday School teacher in our First Baptist Church in Jacksonville. 

He is doing a fabulous job as pastor at Aloma. 

Dr. John Sullivan will be speaking at the 8:15 am service. Dr. Paige Patterson will be speaking at the 9:45 am service. I will be speaking at the 11:15 am service.

I hope to see you there!

This phase begins with I Corinthians and goes chapter-by-chapter through Colossians. There are also special lessons for Easter, Mothers’ Day and Christmas.

God willing, the last year and a half of the curriculum will be available by the end of 2010.

We are so pleased at the churches taking advantage of this chapter-by-chapter Sunday School study through the New Testament. Our renewal rate is virtually one hundred percent. The feedback we are getting is most encouraging.

I know of no better way to study the Bible than chapter-by-chapter. These leader guides will enable Sunday School teachers to give their students a clear, easy-to-understand study of these Bible chapters.

You can learn more about Vines By the Book by going here.

We are at a momentous moment in Southern Baptist life. “For such a time as this” we need a servant-leader statesman as our next president.

Let me paint a picture of the kind of president we need.

We need a president who is godly and humble. He is neither interested in celebrity nor popularity. He preaches the Bible and is a faithful shepherd to his people. He recognizes the Convention isn’t perfect, but he is committed to its core doctrines, values and ministries.

He understands how the Convention works. He has experience at every level of Southern Baptist life, from the national to the state to the associational to the local church level.

He doesn’t polarize people, but unites them. He is courageous enough to take unpopular stands. But, he does it with love and acceptance for those who have another opinion.

He will have to lead Southern Baptists in what I believe will be its most difficult, challenging years.

So, the ballot is before you. Punch the name of ____________, a servant-leader Statesman. “For such a time as this.”

God uses preachers of all ages to speak His Word to our hearts. It would be a mistake for us to think only those of a certain age have a message of God for us. Some of the great preachers who are older have really blessed and challenged me. I have been thrilled and helped immensely by young preachers.

The effectiveness of a preacher is not dependent upon his age. Rather, it is dependent upon his faithfulness to the Word of God, his surrender to the anointing of the Holy Spirit and his life and character which are consistent with the message he preaches.

I hope I am a better preacher now than ever before. Experience, growth in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and His Word should make us better. But, I experienced the power of God’s Spirit upon my preaching when I was a much younger preacher.

Make your plans to come to the 2010 Fall Bible Conference and hear the Word from the generations of preachers on the program!

There is a tendency for us all to get out of balance. And the younger we are, the more we tend to extremes. I know that was true for me. At times my passion outran my understanding. I was sincere, but hadn’t lived long enough to have a more complete picture. I don’t claim to have the complete picture now. But, I have come to believe that balance is important.

Blessed are the balanced in preaching. You can get so caught up in one theme of Scripture that you exclude other themes.

I heard about a preacher who got hung up on the account of the woman at the well. He was speaking on Numbers 22:21, “Balaam…saddled his donkey.” He said, “First, I want to speak  about the usefulness of donkeys. Second, I want to speak about the details of ancient saddles. Then I will close with a few words about the woman at the well.”

Preaching through Bible books helps the preacher to stay balanced in his preaching.

Blessed are the balanced in preaching.

Blessed are the balanced in doctrine.

There is a beautiful tension between many Bible doctrines. In Scripture our finite mind encounters the infinite mind of God. We surely understand we can’t have complete comprehension.

Take Divine sovereignty and human responsibility, for instance. Both are taught in Scripture. Systematic theologies leaning too far in one direction to the detriment of the other get biblical truth out of balance. Neither extreme Calvinism nor extreme Arminianism represents biblical theology.

Blessed are the balanced. 

Blessed are the balanced in church ministry.

The New Testament makes it clear that churches aren’t to focus on either local or global ministry to the exclusion of the other. The New Testament pattern isn’t either/or but both/and.

As a lifetime Southern Baptist I think we are in desperate need of some balance these days.

I believe strongly in the autonomy of the local church. No central authority over a church dictates to it. No convention can tell a church how to conduct its ministry, to develop its programs, or how to give its money. Each church congregation makes those decisions under the Lordship of Christ and the leading of the Holy Spirit. But, I do believe it is important for churches to cooperate with one another in carrying out our Lord’s command to witness to the whole world, from our local “Jerusalem” to the global “ends of the earth.”

Blessed are the balanced.  

There must be some balance in how we use our funds. Obviously we can’t carry on our local work without using much of our tithes and offerings there.

The local church should constantly evaluate the need for and necessity of some of its buildings, staff and programs. We must also be mindful of the opportunity to share with other churches of like faith and order in local, state, national and worldwide causes. If you are going to be part of a convention of churches, you should have some kind of financial commitment to it.

If you want to be independent and do everything as a local church, fine and God bless you. But, if you are part of the Southern Baptist Convention, there should be some kind of financial involvement there.

If you want to be a part of the leadership, setting the course of the SBC, you should lead in financial commitment. A man in your local church probably won’t get placed on the finance committee if he designates $50,000 a year to the music ministry (maybe led by his son!), but only gives $500 annually to the church’s unified budget. He’s free to give his money that way. But, I doubt you would give him the opportunity to make decisions affecting how the bulk of the church’s money is used.

Blessed are the balanced.

During the years of the Conservative Resurgence I was criticized for my church’s low percentage of giving to the SBC’s cooperative program. I just took the criticism and didn’t get mad about it. The issue of liberalism was the primary impediment.

Many of us said, “We don’t want to support the liberalism.” As we began to resolve that issue, the record will show my church steadily increased its gifts. I feel you have to put your money where your mouth is.

Now we hear the criticism, “We don’t want to support the bloated bureaucracy.” Well, I’m sure there is enough bloat in our Convention, entities, and yes, our churches, to go around.

Examine? Sure.

Eliminate all the bloat we can? Yes!

But, blast and blame? No.

It just boils down to this: If you intend to be a Southern Baptist, work through the system to bring about the change you desire. It won’t happen over night.

The SBC boat is a big one and doesn’t change course quickly. It took ten years for us to utilize our trustee system to address the problem of liberalism. If you aren’t willing to take the time and the SBC doesn’t fit your idea of what a convention of churches should be, then seek another. And God bless you as you go.

Blessed are the balanced.

This is the first Bible Conference at First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia. Our Pastor, Dr. Charles Stanley, expressed to me some time ago his desire to have such a conference. 

We have put together a program of Bible preaching and superior gospel, evangelist music.

If you register before August 1st, you will save $10.00/person off of the registration fee. Also, only the first 700 who register will be able to reserve a place for the Thursday night steak dinner.

Take advantage of these savings, and register now. Pastors, sign up your staff and laypeople. They will benefit greatly from this Conference.

He was exactly correct, of course.

What the brother failed to understand is that God sometimes re-assigns his servants.

Dr. Charles Swindoll spoke at the Thomas Road Baptist Church “Refuel” conference last week. Swindoll is said to be the second most influential living preacher, after Billy Graham, in a recent LifeWay Research survey. The 75-year-old preacher said some interesting things (for a more complete article on his message, check out Friday’s Vines Lines membership section).

Among them, he said he had no plans to retire. He challenged pastors against pursuing the American dream of retirement.

Swindoll said, “I don’t want to hear a one of you say ‘I’m living for the day I’m going to retire.’ A pastor doesn’t retire.”

Speaking from the Bible picture of a pastor as a under rower, he said, “We got to keep that oar in the water. When they think of you let them remember you kept your oar in the water.” (The Christian Post, 5.20)

Of course, Swindoll himself has been re-assigned on a few occasions. From his church in California to the presidency of Dallas Theological Seminary and now again to a pastorate.

I resigned as pastor of First Baptist Church, Jacksonville. Does that mean I have resigned from the ministry? No.

Have I retired from being a preacher? Nope. It just means I have been re-assigned.

I have “re-tired” and I’m still rolling for Jesus!

One of the real strengths of Brother Brooks’ ministry is his ability to put together a musical program that is thrilling beyond compare.

He currently is presenting “The story behind the Song” special nights. These are absolutely spectacular.

In Jacksonville one of the highlights of the annual Bible Conference was the concluding Grand Finale. They were masterful productions indeed.

In September Brother Brooks will conclude the conference with a Musical Spectacular. I can guarantee you it will be worth far more than the registration fee. If for no other reason, come to the conference to be blessed by the Musical Spectacular!

I’ve been in some wild ones. I was there in 1979 when Adrian Rogers was elected and shook the convention. I was there in 1985 when Charles Stanley was elected as president and caused great alarm in the moderate camp. I was there in 1988 when I was elected president! Pretty lively and interesting conventions. The election of a new president this year will create a great deal of interest.

This year’s convention will also feature the report and recommendations of the Great Commission Resurgence task force. The report has already been released and is being studied by Southern Baptists. I would encourage those planning to attend the convention to be as well informed as possible. We do not want to be an Acts 19:32 convention - “Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.”

There will be special sessions about all areas of church ministry. Special school courses for credit will be offered. Great Bible preaching and heartwarming music will be featured. 

Now, just who should come to the Conference?

This conference is for pastors, staff members and lay people. This is not just a “pastors only” conference. This conference will be a blessing to anyone who wants to attend.

I want to encourage pastors to bring your staff, of course. But, I also want to encourage pastors to bring large numbers of your people. They will be blessed, inspired and challenged. They should return to your church on fire for Jesus!

Click here for more information about this conference.

Impressed?

I am!

God used him at crucial times in Southern Baptist life. During a very tense convention session, Dr. Gambrell was called upon to pray. He reportedly prayed, “Lord, we Southern Baptists aren’t much, but we’re the best you’ve got.” It is said his prayer greatly reduced the tension in the convention hall.

I’m sure such a  statement would be debated by other Christian groups. But, he was stating something many of us believe today. For all our failures and faults, God’s people known as Southern Baptist are a people who have been used  to win millions to Christ, both at home and to the ends of the earth.

I certainly cherish the label, Christian, above that of Baptist. And above that of Southern Baptist. But, I’m grateful to God one Sunday night I heard a faithful Southern Baptist preacher tell me about Jesus, and I was saved.

I’m thankful I received greatly reduced in cost educations at a Baptist University and a Baptist Seminary. I was blessed to serve several wonderful Southern Baptist churches.

So, there is a lot of truth to the statement. We need to keep this in mind as we approach the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando. “Lord, we Southern Baptists  aren’t much”—that should keep us humble. “But, we’re the best you’ve got”—that should make us grateful.

Barry Edwards, director of media, and my media director when I was at First Baptist, Jacksonville will present a seminar on the media ministry. Mike Bell and Bill Thrasher will assist him.

Bill Bryan will present First Baptist’s new member class.

James Barnes, minister to children, will present a seminar on “unleashing the power of a purpose-filled children’s ministry.

Longtime staff member, Mary Gellerstedt, director of world missions for the church, will present “techniques for creating a global missions ministry.”

Lisa Ryan, director of the women’s ministry, will host special guest, Lysa Terkeurst, president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, who will lead a session entitled “leading women to the heart of God.”

These seminars promise to be very helpful to those who attend them. I will be mentioning other seminars in future articles. Sign up early by going here. Take advantage of the discounted early registration.

I have been rather amazed in reading a lot of articles about gospel-centered preaching that the basic essentials of the gospel as spelled out by Paul in I Corinthians 15 are so seldom even mentioned.

In the opening verses of I Corinthians 15 Paul gives us the heart of the gospel message. The passage sets forth 4 statements, each fronted by the conjunction “that.” Those 4 statements are arranged around the twice used phrase “according to the Scriptures.”

The gospel is God’s 2-fold answer to man’s 2 basic problems, sin and death.

God’s answer to the sin problem is the crucifixion of Christ, laid out thusly—“that Christ died for our sins…and that He was buried…” His answer to the death problem is the resurrection of Christ—“and that He rose again…and that He was seen…”

Of course, there are other truths implied by the gospel. And there are manifold follow-ups to the gospel’s message. But, gospel-centered preaching is not preaching some set of man-made propositions. Gospel-centered preaching is declaring the cross and the empty tomb.

If a preacher declares those twin towers of God’s provision for the two mountains of man’s misery, he is a gospel-centered preacher!

The requirements for the course will include attendance at all the sessions, seminar attendance, additional classroom times arranged around the Conference and assigned reading. If you are a student at New Orleans, Southwestern, Luther Rice, Liberty Baptist Seminary or Truett McConnell College.

You can register for the Conference and also sign up at your institution for this course. What a great way to study!

Attend a Conference with strong Bible preaching and heart music. Attend seminars, etc. And get some school credit for it!

There were two presidents who served as pastor at Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, where I also served from 1974-79. One of them was Dr. Herschel Hobbs. He was a great pastor-theologian. His commentaries and Sunday School helps were used widely throughout the Convention.

The other was Dr. Jaroy Weber. Dr. Weber was a great pastor-evangelist. God used him to stir fires of evangelism throughout our Convention. My immediate successor at Dauphin Way, he was a great encouragement to me in those years.

I remember with great joy the election of Dr. Adrian Rogers. No one would nominate him. Finally, Dr. Homer Lindsay, Senior agreed to do it. Dr. Rogers was elected on the first ballot in a field of five or six. He was elected at a crucial time in the history of our convention. Though we had prayed for it, his election was a delightful surprise!

I remember well seeing my dear friend, Dr. Homer Lindsay, Junior, upon hearing Adrian had won, embracing a prominent moderate leader and running up and down the aisle with him! The dear man looked like Godzilla had grabbed him!

Elected in 1979, Dr. Rogers started the process which led to the returning of our Convention to its conservative roots. We understood how the needed changes were to be made. Through the process of committee appointments, trustees were elected who addressed the liberalism in our entities. He was clearly God’s man for the hour.

I could mention the other conservative presidents who are my friends. Each one has played a crucial, providential role in the whole process of the conservative resurgence. Each was God’s leader for the time. I can clearly see the hand of God working through the election of everyone of them.

Southern Baptists will elect another president in June. The Convention is at another crucial crossroad. I’m sure good men will be nominated.

We need a president who is godly and humble; courageous and committed; involved and supportive at every level of our Convention life; experienced and well versed in our polity, structure and reason for existence. Pray the Lord will lead us to that man.

The music will be led by FBC Atlanta’s Minister of Music, Rodney Brooks. As most of you probably know Brother Brooks was my Minister of Music at FBC, Jacksonville for 19 years.

In my opinion he is the best there is. No one can get energy and excitement from a choir and orchestra like Bro. Brooks! His congregational directing is phenomenal. He makes the service flow without excess talk, untimely delays and fanfare. He knows how to present a beautiful, moving, spiritual blend of music that lifts you into the heavenlies.

You will hear a wide range of music styles, from great evangelistic anthems to the great hymns to the best contemporary praise songs to deeply moving heart music. He will present choirs, orchestras, special groups and soloists from FBC Atlanta, plus Greater Vision Trio, The Old Paths Trio and Marc Ivey, one of the most exciting young soloists in America today.

I’ll tell you. The music alone will be worth the registration fee. Register here and take advantage of the early reduced fee.

I went to bed at a Convention one night thinking Dr. Ed Young would be nominated for President the next day. Instead, I nominated Dr. Charles Stanley for his first term as President! I was elected two times as SBC President myself.

Fact is, in any deliberative body politics plays an imperative role. It just goes with the territory.

So, how do you avoid the pettiness and ugliness that sometimes emerges? I tried to follow some basic principles.

First, I affirmed the right of any person to be nominated for any position who felt led of the Lord to do so. No one should seek to deny this basic right to any other brother.

When I was elected SBC President, Dr. Richard Jackson was nominated the first year and Dr. Daniel Vestal the second year. I was never offended or upset by that. It was their perfect right to be nominated.

Second, I never felt any group could dictate these matters. I’m not naïve. I think it is always the case that certain groups coalesce around certain candidates. There are times when it is greatly desirable that this be so. Fortunately, during the days of the Conservative Resurgence, there was great unity and oneness. The battle to return the SBC to its conservative roots cemented thousands of us together. But, no group should ever think its decisions pre-empt anyone else from reaching different ones.

Third, refuse to be involved in rumor and character assassination. Sadly, even religious politics gets mired in those swamps.

When candidates are nominated, prayerfully vote for the person you feel is best suited for the position. Then, when the outcome is ascertained, trust the results to the providence of God, love the brethren, and then all of you go out for a good supper that night!

I am excited to be sponsoring this Conference with a number of schools and Dr. Charles Stanley. Along with Bible preaching and heartwarming, spiritual music in the main sessions, there will be a number of seminars offered. One of the features will be Dr. Stanley’s presentation of his “Life Principles” Friday afternoon. These are the principles which have guided his life and ministry. It will be special to hear him share them and have a time to ask him some questions regarding them.

Charles Stanley is now the most listened to preacher in the world. It is amazing what God is doing through him. I want to encourage you to attend this Bible Conference and share in this special session. Early enrollment will save on the registration fee.

I’ll be sharing more about the Conference each week.

When I was at Dauphin Way in Mobile, Scott Hunter was a member. Scott was quarterback for Alabama and several Pro teams. He was as fine a conditioned athlete as I have ever seen. He ran 6 miles every day, did extensive weight training, ate right and was a superb physical specimen.

He was also growing in his spiritual life through Bible study, prayer and his faithful attendance to church services. I was a young, busy, out of shape pastor. He asked me a question one night after Wednesday  prayer service that changed my life. He said, “Pastor, doesn’t the Bible say our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?”

I replied, “Sure does, Scott.”

Then, he put in the knife —“Well, if our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, isn’t it important to take good care of His temple?”

Uh oh. He ran me through!

From that challenge I started a fitness program. Running. Eating properly. Just getting the Holy Spirit’s temple in shape.

I’m certainly no athletic specimen. My running I call “excited walking.” But, it has made a difference in my health, stamina and sense of well being.

So, my Christian friends, I leave you with the question that changed me: “If our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, isn’t it important to take good care of His temple?”

Just sayin’.

He begins chapter 15 with a clear explanation of the gospel. He moves to the glorious section on the resurrection of Christ and believers. He hits shouting ground as he exults in our victory over sin and death. Then—“Now concerning the collection.”

Talk about killing the meeting!

But the more you think about it the more sense it makes. Isn’t the best motivation for giving the good news about what Christ has done for a lost world? Shouldn’t that message cause us to talk about giving money to get the gospel message from our Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth?

Come to think of it—Easter would be a great time to start a stewardship campaign. Truth is—Easter isn’t over. So let’s talk money!

It is important to have a clear understanding of the basic ingredients of our message of good news. Of course, to explain the good news you must also set forth the bad news. The bad news is that of sin and death (see Romans 8:2). Sin and death! We are sinners and we are going to die. These are the mighty mountains of man’s misery.

But, there is good news. It is the good news of what God has done to resolve man’s two problems.

Paul clearly delineates the basics of the gospel message in I Corinthians 15:1-8. In those verses there is an interesting combination of historical reality and theological truth. They are indicated to us in verses 3-5 by the 4-fold repetition of a conjunction (“that”) and the 2-fold repetition of a phrase (“according to the Scriptures”).

The phrase “according to the Scriptures” ties the historical realities of the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ to the theological truths of Christ’s death to deal with mankind’s sin problem and His resurrection to deal with mankind’s  death problem. The little conjunction “that” is a declarative one. It declares the essential elements of the crucifixion (“that Christ died and that He was buried”) and the resurrection (“that He was raised and that He was seen”).

Christ died and was buried to pay for and to put away our sin. He was raised and was seen to conquer death and to change life.

Glorious Easter conjunction and phrase!

E. M. Bounds' book Preacher and Prayer made a profound impression upon me when I was a young preacher. When I read these words he had me: "He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men - men of prayer." I have since read every book he wrote on prayer.

His life is simply told. Born in 1835. Died in 1913 at the age of 77.  Prisoner of war in the Civil War. Chaplain for the Confederate Army. Assistant editor of the Methodist Christian Advocate. Pastor of Methodist churches. The last one in Washington, Ga. 

It is said he prayed in his study every morning from 4 am until 7 am. And there he wrote his books on prayer. I would commend them to you.

The technology of the times pulls us from the "sweet hour of prayer." We are busy texting, twittering, blogging, iPhoning, googling, etc. We need to heed some old songs: "Ere you left your room this morning, did you think to pray?....Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, that calls me from a world of care…Are you weary, are you heavy hearted? Tell it to Jesus…I must tell Jesus, I cannot bear these burdens alone."

If you don't have a place of prayer, get one. Your bedside. Your office desk. Outside somewhere. Some place where you can bow the knee and lift the heart toward God in prayer.

Preachers do well to ponder Bounds' words: "In every truly successful ministry prayer is an evident and controlling force." Prayer probably won’t get you elected to any office, nor asked to serve on any committee. It will, however, make your name well known in heaven!

Thanks, E. M. Bounds, for the call to prayer.

It brought back to my mind the first time I ever spoke at an Evangelism conference. I had just become the pastor of Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. I was 33-years old and didn’t have a clue what I was doing in a big church! I was asked to speak at the Alabama Baptist Evangelism Conference held at Dauphin Way that year.

I will never forget it. The building was packed. Just before I preached a soloist sang, “Jesus Will Outshine Them All.” I preached a message entitled “Our Ascended Lord.”

I don’t remember a whole lot about it. I found myself in another world. I have sometimes wondered if I ever have preached another message anointed by the Holy Spirit like that one. 

On the audio you can hear John Bisagno and Adrian Rogers “amen”ing in the background. As a result, Dr. Rogers invited me to bring the same message at the Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference in Norfolk, Virginia. I did and was elected president of the Conference for the next year. And, that was the beginning of my entry into Southern Baptist affairs. 

Precious memories.

Be sure to attend an Evangelism Conference. Who knows what God may do?

Whosoever Will Q & A

This book arose from the John 3:16 Conference back in November of 2008.

For a CD set of this conference, click here.

For a DVD set of this conference, click here.

Well, I’m on the move again.

For the last 4 years I have preached 12 Sunday nights a year at First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Georgia. I praise God for those opportunities, the people who have come to Christ and Christians who may have been blessed by my messages. The people are wonderful, the staff has been super, and I will be eternally grateful for the kindness and love of Pastor Johnny Hunt. I thank God for him and love him dearly.

It’s time for me to move on and minister to more pastors, churches, schools and conferences.

Janet and I have joined First Baptist Church, Atlanta. Charles Stanley and I have been friends for over 30 years. I nominated him for president of the Southern Baptist Convention. After I preached the Convention message “A Baptist and His Bible,” Dr. Stanley told me the Lord had spoken to him that I would be the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Scared me to death, but he was right.

Rodney Brooks, Minister of Music at FBC, Atlanta, served with me for 19 years in Jacksonville.

I will be doing some preaching there and be involved in other ministry opportunities. I covet your prayers in this new phase of my fourth quarter ministry.

I am so thankful the Lord has opened so many doors for my ministry. You may continue to send your invitations to Ruth Blakney, Dr. Hunt’s assistant. Or, you may send them directly to her daughter, Missy Rhodes, through my website contact section. 

Thank you for your continued prayers for my ministry. I’m in the fourth quarter and am happy to report I have already won the game and I’m just running up the score!