Locusts and Wild Honey

Celebrating the Resurrection

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008 | General | No Comments

My friend, Mike Corley, highlighted Good Friday yesterday by broadcasting a dramatic reading of the “Easter Story” as read by Max McLean. Mike also read Isaiah 53 and showcased music by Keith & Kristin Getty. Visit his website to listen to other episodes of the Mike Corley Program.

btw, Lord willing, Mike will be preaching in Lakeshore on Wednesday night April 9. Watch Rebuild Lakeshore for more details.

 

 The Mike Corley Program: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Body

Thursday, March 6th, 2008 | General | No Comments

Nose and Hand were sitting in the church pew talking. The morning service, led by Ear and Mouth, had just ended, and Hand was telling Nose that he and his family had decided to look for a different church.”Really?” Nose responded to Hand’s news. “Why?” “Oh, I don’t know,” Hand said, looking down. He was usually slower to speak than other members of the church body. “I guess because the church doesn’t have what Mrs. Hand and I are looking for.”"Well, what are you looking for in a church?” Nose asked. The tone in which he spoke these words was sympathetic. But even as he was speaking them he knew he would dismiss Hand’s answer. If the Hands couldn’t see that Nose and the rest of the leadership were pointing the church body in the right direction, the body could do without them. .

Hand had to think before answering. He and Mrs. Hand liked Pastor Mouth and his family. And Minister of Music Ear quick cash payday loanadvance cash loan online paydaycash advance servicecash advance servicescash advance america,advance america cash cash,advance america cash advance center incadvance cash lawsuit loan,lawsuit cash advance,advance cash lawsuit pre settlementno faxing savings account cash advance,advance cash faxing no,no faxing required cash advancecash advance until pay day,advance cash day paypayday payday loan cash advance loan,advance cash loan payday,advance cash cash loan loan payday quickadvance cash loan onlinecash advance credit card,0 advance card cash credit,instant online guaranteed cash advance credit cardpay day loan cash advance,pay day cash advance payday loancash loan payday quickbusiness cash advance,how to start a cash advance business,business cash advance loanpay day cash advance,advance cash cheap day pay,advance cash day loan pay paydayno faxing cash advance,advance cash faxing money no now,advance cash faxing no onlinepayday loan cash advance loanadvance cash fax loan no payday,no fax cash advance,advance cash fax hour in nosame day cash advance loan,same day cash advanceadvance cash day loan payadvance cash check credit no online,cash advance no credit check,advance cash check credit nofree online blackjack game,casino blackjack game online,online blackjack gameonline casino black jackroulette online,online roulette game,casino game online rouletteplay black jack for fun,black jack play,play black jack for moneynewest online casinoblackjack casino gameno deposit bonus online casinovideo poker oddscasino cash,free casino cash no deposit,free casino cash no deposit requiredplay roulette onlineplay video poker onlineplay bingo onlinecomputer black jackblackjack card gamebest online casino gambling,best online casino gambling siteonline casino blackjack,casino blackjack,play casino blackjackfree on line casinono deposit casino,no deposit bonus online casino,free no deposit sign up bonus casinoonline bingosultan online casinoonline casino blackjack,online blackjack,online casino gambling blackjackvideo poker machinesfree video poker downloadcraps online,free online casino game craps,free craps game onlinecasino secure online gamblingplay free casinoroulette game download,roulette game,free roulette game downloadplay free slots gamefree casino game download meant well. “Well, I guess we’re looking for a place where people are more like us,” Hand finally stammered. “We tried spending time with the Legs, but we didn’t connect with them. Next we joined the small group for all the Toes. But they kept talking about socks and shoes and odors. And that didn’t interest us.”

Nose looked at him this time with genuine dismay: “Aren’t you glad they’re concerned with odors?!”

“Sure, sure. But it’s not for us. Then, we attended the Sunday school for all you facial features. Do you remember? We came for several Sundays a couple of months ago?”

“It was great to have you.”

“Thank you. But everyone just wanted to talk, and listen, and smell, and taste. It felt like, well, it felt like you never wanted to get to work and get your hands dirty. Anyway, Mrs. Hand and I were thinking about checking out that new church over on East Side. We hear they do a lot of clapping and handraising, which is closer to what we need right now.”

“Hmmm,” Nose replied. “I see what you mean. We’d hate to see you go. But I guess you have to do what’s good for you.”

At that moment, Mrs. Hand, who had been caught up in another conversation, turned back to join her husband and Nose. Hand briefly explained what he and Nose had been talking about, after which Nose repeated his sadness at the prospect of losing the Hands. But he again said that he understood since it sounded like their needs weren’t being met.

Mrs. Hand nodded in agreement. She wanted to be polite, but, truth be told, she wasn’t sad to be leaving. Her husband had made just enough critical remarks about the church over the years that her heart had begun to reflect his. No, he had never burst into an open tirade against the body. In fact, he usually apologized for “being so negative,” as he put it. But the little complaints that he let slip out here and there had had an effect. The small groups were a little cliquish. The music was a little out of date. The programs did seem a little silly. The teaching wasn’t entirely to their liking. In the end, it was hard for the two of them to put their fingers on it, but they finally decided that the church wasn’t for them.

In addition to all that, Mrs. Hand knew that their daughter Pinkie was not comfortable with the youth group. Everyone was so different from her, she felt out of joint.

Mrs. Hand then said something about how much she appreciated Nose and the leadership. But the conversation had already run on too long for Nose. Besides, her perfume made him want to sneeze. He thanked Mrs. Hand for her encouragement, repeated that he was sorry to hear of their departure, then turned and walked away. Who needed the Hands? Apparently, they didn’t need him.

The above parable, written by Jonathan Leeman and inspired by 1 Corinthians 12:18-21, appears in the preface of Mark Dever’s book, “What is a Healthy Church?”

God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

— 1 CORINTHIANS 12:18-21

What is a healthy church?

Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 | Books, General | 1 Comment

I just read one of Mark Dever’s most recent books, “What is a Healthy Church. Dever serves as pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC and heads up 9 Marks. The short 126 page book aims to bring the information from his larger work, “The Nine Marks of a Healthy Church” to a more popular audience. Arranged in three parts, he first covers the larger question, “What is a Healthy Church. He then sets the nine marks under two heads - “essential” and “important” marks. “Essential marks of a healthy church;” include a biblical understanding of expository preaching, biblical theology, and the gospel. He lists conversion, evangelism, membership, church discipline, discipleship, and leadership as “important marks” of a healthy church. In between each section, Dever folds in a couple of “quick tips” which include, “If you are looking to leave a church…” and “How to find a good church.”

I think the work would have been strengthened by a study guide at the end of each chapter to aid in small group discussions. Its a great book to use for that purpose. Overall its a great little book to pass along to church members.

The Baptist Faith and Message 2000

Thursday, February 14th, 2008 | BF&M 2000, General, Theological Thursdays | No Comments

Every Thursday for the past few months, I’ve posted an article from The Baptist Faith and Message 2000. On some of the articles I provided related links, relevant books, and my own random thoughts. For all of them, I posted the accompanying scripture references to my Bible translation of choice, the ESV. For convenience, here are the links to each article:

1. The Scriptures
2. God
   1. God the Father
   2. God the Son
   3. God the Holy Spirit
3. Man
4. Salvation
5. God’s Purpose of Grace
6. The Church
7. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
8. The Lord’s Day
9. The Kingdom
10. Last Things
11. Evangelism and Missions
12. Education
13. Stewardship
14. Cooperation
15. The Christian and the Social Order
16. Peace and War
17. Religious Liberty
18. Family

We have also been reading through the Baptist Faith and Message in our Sunday morning worship services at Lakeshore Baptist Church. This exercise served to bring our confessional statement out of a dusty file cabinet and into plain view.

In the spirit of the protestant reformation, Lakeshore Baptist Church holds to the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, which states that scripture and scripture alone is our only infallible rule of faith and practice. Although we affirm that no man-made creed or document can be set on equal footing as the authoritative Word of God, we feel that historical doctrinal statements can articulate to the world what we believe the Bible to teach on various issues, to educate ourselves, and to serve as a guide for theological accountability.

I encourage our folks to, not only read through our confessional statements, but use them as helpful guides to their own study of the scriptures. The Baptist Faith and Message works well for this. Use the document, not as an end, but as a beginning of your study. Read each article and the accompanying scripture reference. When reading each Bible passage, ask yourself what this verse tells you about the topic in the article. for example, when reading Romans 14:19 ask yourself what this says to the topic of “Peace and War.” Look for an echo of the scripture passage in the confessional statements wording. Take the time to read the fuller context of each passage, to understand the point in context. Take notes along the way.

Foundations of Grace

Friday, February 8th, 2008 | Books, General | 2 Comments

Foundations of Grace, by Steve Lawson, lays the ground work for his “long line of godly men” series. The first instalment surveys the Biblical text with an eye for the doctrines of grace in each book of the Bible. As Lawson runs through the parade of biblical authors he highlights their heavy trust in the sovereignty of God over all things. Lawson demonstrates that the doctrines of radical depravity, sovereign election, definite atonement, irresistible calling, and persevering grace set the cadence for the entire bible. The doctrines of grace drench every page of the biblical text.

Lawsons energetic writing style makes the book a joy to read. Because the intention of the work looks to survey the entire Bible, Lawson never stops long in any one place. The hefty 577 page volume leaves the reader craving more, not because of any deficiency in his treatment, but because Lawson wets the appetite for further study of the rich theological banquet of the biblical text. The book would serve well as a reference book along side other Bible introduction and survey works.

I’m looking forward to his forthcoming “Pillers of Grace” in the series, that builds upon the biblical “Foundations of Grace” and traces church history. To get a taste of Lawson’s rich writing style and content, here are the first couple of pages from “Foundations of Grace:”

Beginning with the ancient prophet Moses and spanning the past thirty-five hundred years to this present hour, there has marched onto the stage of human history a long line of godly men, men who have faithfully upheld the royal banner of the doctrines of grace in their generations. These standardbearers of the sovereignty of God’s grace form a noble procession that has remained unbroken and uninterrupted for millennia. They stand as one man— one in truth, one in the faith, one in the doctrines of grace. While differing in secondary areas of biblical understanding, they nevertheless have spoken with one voice in chief matters of doctrinal concern, namely, the supreme sovereignty by which God has appointed saving grace to undeserving, yet chosen, sinners. What is more, each man has appeared in history precisely at his God-appointed time and faithfully testified to Gods sovereignty in mans salvation.

Who are these great men of history? These are the most God-entranced preachers of their day, the most Word-saturated teachers of their hour, the men who, for the largest part, most marked their times for the glory of God. These are stalwarts of the faith, the sturdiest pillars of the church, the men who impacted nations and influenced continents for Christ, the men who sparked reformations and ignited spiritual awakenings. These are the valiant warriors of God’s kingdom, men who translated the Scriptures into the mother tongues of their people—and were burned at the stake for doing so. These are the men who founded biblically based denominations and launched gospel-propagating missions—men who left an eternal impact upon the life of the church. These are among the most esteemed pastors, distinguished theologians, and prolific authors of their generations. These are the most passionate evangelists, scholarly professors, and venerable presidents of Bible colleges and seminaries—men who have upheld the standard of sound words. These are the men who have championed the doctrines of grace.

We witness them marching onto the stage of history, the world being their theatre and Scripture their rehearsed lines. Countless numbers of these men appeared during the most demanding moments in the divine script, in the days when the church was at its weakest. It was in such times that this long line of godly men grew most thin. Yet amid dark days of doctrinal error, these men remained faithful to God’s Word and stayed true to its message, even daring to march out of step with the theological cadence of the times. These resilient couriers of truth were, of sorts, the small hinges upon which the large doors of redemptive history turned, inevitably leading the church back into the rising sunlight of a bright tomorrow. Similarly, in the times of the church’s greatest reformations and spiritual revivals, these men stood resolutely at the forefront, heralding the glorious truth of God’s sovereignty in man’s salvation for all to hear. Century by century, this unbroken succession of spiritual stalwarts has increased its ranks to become a swelling parade—a long line of godly men, uninterrupted and intact.

What is the distant drumbeat by which these men march? What compels them to move out and move forward for God in their generations? What drives them to capture their hours for Christ? What ignites their souls to burn with passion for Him and be the brightest torches of truth in their times? The answer is clear and compelling. To a man, they are overwhelmed by a high view of the sovereignty of God. With a transcendent and triumphant vision of God ruling supremely over all things, these men comprise an army of expositors and teachers, trumpeting the unrivaled reign of God over heaven and earth. This is what makes them so unusually great. It is that they preach and proclaim an infinitely great God, One who is great in holiness and great in sovereignty. Their greatness is not found in themselves, but in the One who has called them into His glorious employ.

These are the men who believe that God is God, not merely in name but in living reality. These are the faithful messengers who hold fast to the core truth that God speaks and it is so. They proclaim that God comes to pass. They declare that God calls and it happens. They herald that God plans and so does. There is no force that can resist Him, either in heaven, on earth, or under the earth. He pronounces the end from the beginning. His purpose will be infallibly established. Their message is founded on the unmistakably clear testimony of Scripture that God is sovereign over all things.

You can download a sample PDF with the table of contents, the full chapters 2 and ten on Moses and the Gospel of John, along with R. C. Sproul’s Afterward, from the publisher, Reformation Trust.

The Southern Baptist Blogosphere

Saturday, January 5th, 2008 | General | 1 Comment

Tony Kummer, of Said@Southern podcast fame, launched a cool project, SBC Voices, that looks to aggregate feeds for all things Southern Baptist. My two blogs, Locusts & Wild Honey and Rebuild Lakeshore made the list of the first 231 syndicated sites. Very cool.