Men's Retreat 2014

"Be strong, and show yourself a man..."  

-1 Kings 2:2 (ESV)

Coming up on September 19-21 at FairHaven on Roan Mountain our men will gather for the first Men's Retreat that I have been able to join in with our men. I am very excited about this even! The event will be held over a three day, two night time span. I will speak on Friday night on the verses in 1 Kings 2:1-9, David's dying instruction to Solomon. David's words to his son on his deathbed is a great instruction to all men. There are at least items he instructs his son in: leadership, provision, and protection. I think it is important to note the instruction of biblical manhood for our children. There are many qualities that both boys and girls should posses, but there is special instruction for each sex. God made us both equal, but with different roles. I believe that this is modeled after the trinity, God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all equal, but clearly play different roles.

Our boys must be taught what it means to "show yourself a man." We can't take notes from television, feminism, nor our mothers on what it means to be men. So come, join us as we seek to lead, provide, and protect in our roles as men!

Can God Still Use Me Even Though I've Sinned?

"For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” -Esther 4:14 (ESV)

In the above passage, Mordecai is strongly urging the queen, whom he raised, to do the right thing and seek deliverance from destruction. There is a beautiful tension that exists in this passage, namely the sovereignty of God and our responsibility. Mordecai is not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but he knows that God will deliver the Jews one way or another. Why does Mordecai have this confidence? Because he knows the promises that were made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has faith and trust in the fact that God will deliver on what God says he will deliver on; however, Mordecai knows that this will be costly to God's people.

He also states here, that if Esther keeps silent she will not get to participate in God's plan for redeeming his people, and it may cost her life. Here is the principle that arises from this text: God will get his plan accomplished, but you could miss out on the blessing of being involved with where God is working. Let me illustrate, recently I was out working on picking some tomatoes from a few plants I had put out. My kids wanted to help, and I was overjoyed to let them. I told them to pick only the red ones. While my youngest loved picking the green ones that were about golf ball sized, the red ones made it into the house. Those red tomatoes would have made it in the house without the kids helping, but they would have missed the instruction of twisting and pulling the tomato. And more importantly, we would have both missed out on the joy of the fellowship of doing this together.

In addition to this, he says perhaps you have come into the kingdom for such a time as this. We often think about the kingdom of God, but that is not where they live. They live in a pagan culture that does not worship the one true living God. Esther is unlike her Daniel counterpart in the Old Testament. Daniel had a level of moral clarity about him. We knew why he didn't eat the king's food or bow to the idols. They both worked in a pagan king's court, but Esther lacks the same clarity. She has made a series of sinful decisions which include: concealing her faith and sleeping with the king before they are married to entice him. She has to choose between the kingdom she lives in and God's kingdom, which is the decision we all face. While she has grown comfortable eating the king's food, Esther becomes the heroine through her resolve to live for God's kingdom at a great crossroad in her life. I wish I could be a Daniel, but the truth is most of us identify more with Esther than Daniel. Esther gives us hope that we can still be greatly used of God, especially if we have made sinful, bad decisions in the past. She shows us that even if we have a "past", God can use us as part of His plan to redeem others! Be encouraged beloved! The LORD has placed a world full of sinners to accomplish His will.

What Happens to Believers Who Commit Suicide?

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16)


The recent suicide of Robin Williams has shocked many. My heart breaks for the family and friends of Robin Williams, especially since I don't know what his relationship with Jesus Christ was at the end of his life. I once heard Robin Williams say, “I’m an Episcopal; that’s Catholic Lite. Same religion, half the guilt!” I hope he heard the gospel and put his full trust and faith in Jesus Christ.

In the wake of a high profile suicide, I often receive questions on suicide. The issue usually centers around what happens to believers who commit suicide. Some would make the argument that suicide is a one way ticket to hell, but I see only one sin in the Word that is a guaranteed ticket to hell, namely blasphemy against the Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32). That is to live your whole life and reject the gospel and the conviction that hearing the gospel brings. Believers in Jesus Christ are a people marked by hope. In the case of people who have lost hope or as the above passage says "lose heart", I would submit to you that suicide does not send believers to hell. In fact in the Old Testament, in one final act of strength Samson pulled the pillars down killing himself and thousands of his captors (Judges 16:25-30). Samson is later noted in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11:32). Let's not forget, Saul also committed suicide (1 Samuel 31), but King Saul is not mentioned in the Hebrew's Hall of Faith. Remember beloved, sometimes suicide is the cap stone on a life of hidden rebellion against God. Other examples of suicide in the Bible (Judges 9:52-54;2 Sam. 17:23; 1 Kings 16:18-19; Matt. 27:3-5), are all done in the context of shame and defeat. The Bible also gives us examples of Godly men who asked for their life to be taken, but God does not grant their request (Num. 11:12-15; 1 Kings 19:4; Jonah 4:1-11).

Losing heart may be related to one of two possibilities: sin and/or clinical depression. Losing heart may be sin related, I would challenge anyone who is thinking along those lines to first look inwardly and renew your mind to the examples, teaching and principles found in the word of God (Romans 12:2). But for some, the pain of depression is deeper. I once was speaking with a mental health doctor who told me, "Depression is the equivalent of cancer in our field." If someone's heart, liver, or kidneys don't function correctly, and they take a pill to help, Christians usually have no problem with that action. But unfortunately there is an inappropriate stigma with those who need medication to assist the brain in functioning correctly. The time we live in is one of the best to be alive due to all of the gifted men and women who have advanced medical science. I believe that God provides these minds and gifts as a means of help for all people, including God's people. So do not lose heart! If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or know someone who is, please do the following:

1. Pray for God's help.

2. Look to the Word of God for comfort and help.

3. Inform others who love you and you trust to pray for you.

4. See a doctor for help if the thoughts and pain remain.

Do You Want To Be Healed?

In John Chapter 5, we see that Jesus comes into a room full of crippled people. He picks one, just one from the crowd and asks a question to him that I find very strange. He says in verse 6 "Do you want to be healed?". What person in their right mind would not want to be healed? And the man said yes. Now another thing that I find puzzling is the fact that at the time of the healing, the man did not know who Jesus was; because, when asked who had healed him the Bible says,

     "Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there         was a crowd in the place."

I know that God healed this one man among many for his glory. He healed a man that was not even a believer at the time. There are several implications that could be drawn from this text. But one implication that stands out, is the fact that some claim the ability to heal in the name of Jesus, others in the name of science, and others in the name of a false God. But at the end of the day, the true healer is only Jesus. Giving life in a way that no one else can. The point is that he doesn't just make a claim, he backs it up!

I think back to all the times that people have promised me this or that, then they don't deliver. I am also remained of all the times that I have failed to deliver on my promises and it breaks my heart. One thing that we know for sure is that Christ will always deliver! Remember Jesus is the great Deliverer (1 Thess. 1:10). So let's not be upset when we are let down by men, for it is our nature. We will not find water in broken cisterns. But let us praise God for never failing.

Book Review: Is God anti-Gay?

"Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me." -Mark 8:34

Over the past twelve years, I have received more questions from church members about homosexuality than I did ten years ago. I think Dr. Molher captured how so many church leaders feel about the increase in this discussion when he said at the Southern Baptist Convention, "we have a bus parked on our feet." I fear that many people and pastors seeking to honor the LORD fear or are very uncomfortable with this topic. I once heard a pastor talking about this issue who just shook his head and grunted in disgust, which I found unhelpful. In a church our size, it would be ridicules to think there is not one person who struggles with this issue. If you or someone you love struggles with this issue, please read this book.

This book that Pastor Sam Allberry wrote, is an excellent read that I would recommend to anyone who has questions or struggles with this topic. Pastor Allberry admits that he struggles with Same Sex Attraction (SSA), making an important distinction from being gay. Allberry makes an important distinction, we are more than our sexual identity/desires! On page 11, he quotes Mark 8:34, and concludes, 

"It is saying "No" to your deepest sense of who you are, for the sake of Christ. To take up a cross is to declare your life (as you have known it) forfeit."

One of my favorite quotes from the book is on page 32 when he goes on to say,

"All of us have desires that are warped as a result of our fallen nature. Desires for things God has forbidden are a reflection of how sin has distorted me, not how God has made me."

Pastor Allberry is right on the mark biblically. I don't think that God hates any one sin more than any other, Christ died for all. There is tremendous pressure to change the word of God to suit present desires of this age (see 2 Timothy 4:3). He also gives help to those who have come out, and those who have had someone come out in this lifestyle. The book helps us think sensibly, sensitively, and biblically. I applaud Pastor Allberry for having the courage and strength by God's grace to fight his sin and to write about his struggle for all to see. I give this book two thumbs up! Way Up!

What Happens When Believers Die?

"we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body and at home with the Lord." -1 Corinthians 5:8

"I am pressured by both. I have the desire to depart and be with Christ—which is far better—" -Phil. 1:23

I recently received this question from a church member on what happens to believers when we die? Do we go to be with Jesus or does our soul sleep? The Bible makes multipule references to "sleep" or "falling asleep" such as (Matt. 9:24; 27:52; John 11:11; Acts 7:60; 13:36; 1 Cor. 15:6, 18, 20, 51; 1 Thess. 4:13; 5:10). And if some passages were all we had on the topic, one would believe the dead do not have a conscious existence (see. Ps. 6:5; 115:17-18; Eccl. 9:10; Isaiah 38:19). But when the scriptures represent death as "sleep" it is simply a metaphorical expression used to indicate that death is only temporary for Christians, just as sleep in temporary. It may also be an expression to help explain what the transition is like from life to death back to life, which feels instantaneous to us. In John 11:11, Jesus say, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awake him out of sleep". Jesus does not says "the soul of Lazarus is sleeping" nor does any passage in Scriptures say that the soul of a person is sleeping or unconscious. The passages that seem to indicate that the dead do not praise God, or that there is a ceasing of conscious activity when people die, these authors are writing from what the world observes. There are other examples in Psalms, where the author is working through what appears to be reality from our perspective instead of what is reality from God's perspective (see Psalm 73).

I believe the Bible teaches believers go immediately into God's presence rejoicing. In the above passage from 1 Corinthians 5, Paul believes that he will be removed from the body and immediately at home with God. He goes on and shares the same thought in Philippians 1:23, he desires to depart and be with the Lord, seeing the departing dovetailing with being with Christ! Paul does not say, "my desire is to depart and be unconscious for a long period of time."

In addition to these verses, Jesus says to the thief on the cross dying next to him, "Today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:24) Jesus' statement indicates that after they both die on the cross, they would be immediately ushered into paradise, not fall asleep. We also see the author of Hebrews instruct us that when Christians come together to worship, we come not only into the presence of God in heaven, but also into the presence of " the spirits of righteous people made perfect (Hebrews 12:23)." Be encouraged beloved of the Lord, the dead in Christ are with Him and praising his name right now!

Missional Communities

The above video is a snapshot into the life of a Missional Community. Below you will find a Q & A about Missional Communities at our church, and a short more simple explanation of MC's. If you would like more information please fell free to contact me! 

What are Missional Communities?

A smaller groups of Grace Baptist Church from six to twenty people who are united, through Christian Community around a common service and witness to a particular neighborhood and/or a network of relationship.  With a strong value on life together, the group has the expressed intention of seeing those the group impacts choose to start following Jesus, through this more flexible and locally incarnated expression of Grace Baptist church.  The results often are that the group grows and ultimately multiplies into further Missional Communities.  They are networked within Grace Baptist Church.  These mid-sized communities are “lightweight and low maintenance.”  These groups gather formally and informally numerous times a month in the group’s missional context.

What is the Goal?

The end goal of the groups is christian growth and multiplication for the kingdom of God.  So these uniquely flavored mid-sized groups are designed with missions/disciple making as their target!

When and Where?

The groups will gather formally and informally as best accommodates the needs of the community and the leader of the group.  A list of active Missional Communities will be avaible for the church to pray over, plug in new members, and assist as needed.

Who Can Come?

Anyone.  With the exception of those who fall under 1 Corinthians 5:11.