Why not trust?

17 Mar

I was talking to a friend yesterday about an upcoming decision our church will make concerning the usage of our present facilities.  If you know anything about Ebenezer, you know that we have space problems… WE NEED MORE!!  When you add in the idea that we need to seek God’s answer to this, it is not as simple as some might think .. and He is leading us to use what we have to the fullest!!

People have prayed for this for YEARS.  And prayed that we will do EXACTLY what God wants in His timing.  This has been a hard wait for the Ebenezerites.  When I read back on the stories of Moses and the Children of Israel on the exodus from Egypt, I can relate.  There have been some that feel they have clear-cut answers to do THIS … and just as many that feel they have clear-cut answers to do THAT.  As a leader, the only way I maintain sanity is to focus on God and seek answers from Him.  And I have found that people don’t always like His answers.

One of the biggest mistakes churches and church people can make is to watch at what God is doing in other churches, possibly even in other cities, and assume that the same formulas and programs would work for their church.  This is dangerous, because of several factors:

  • No two churches are alike.  There have never been two completely identical churches EVER.  Rick Warren speaks much of this in his books, and especially in The Purpose Driven Church.  We are in danger when we think we can copy what another church is doing and expect it to work identically in our church.
  • The context of every church is different.  Even when you look at the churches in Florence, SC, each of us is a little different.  We reach different people groups.  We are each unique in our way.
  • God has called each of us to a different mission.  Ultimately, we are all called to be Great Commission churches, but God uses each of us in different ways to reach this city.

With those thoughts in mind, don’t you believe God has a better plan for us than we could possibly hatch??  Don’t you think He wants what is best for us in every decision made??  I do.  That is why as we approach yet another important decision, I am looking to Him for all of the answers.

Why should we trust Him??  WHY SHOULDN’T WE?

I am praying that all of the Ebenezerites are asking Him for answers, too.  And, for all of you who go to other churches, I am praying that you seek God’s answers for your church.

Join me?

How our Ebenezer came to be

4 Mar

Several people have asked me to post of the story of how this particular Ebenezer that we dedicated this past Sunday came to be … First, a little background:

The word “Ebenezer” is derived from two Hebrew words put together to name a location.  It is usually transliterated as a proper name by dropping the definite article (Ha) from the Hebrew word for “help” (Ezer) and putting it together with the Hebrew word for “stone” (Even) to create: “Ebenezer.” The etymological roots of the word, thus defined, should demonstrate that an “Ebenezer” is, literally, a “Stone of Help.”

On February 17, 2008, Ebenezer Baptist Church gathered for a combined worship service to celebrate 230 years of ministry.  At the end of that service, each worshiper was challenged to place a stone on a pile of stones to mark the fact that God has helped us, individually and as a church, to this place.  Afterwards I wondered aloud “What will we do with all of these stones??  If God gives you a vision for this, please let me know.”  Shortly after that, Haley Wightman told me she had a vision for what we could do.  What if we made a monument to God from these??  Jim Stamp had a similar idea.  These two talked and the current iron heart you see was a result of that (and of YEARS of work by Jim, who probably has THOUSANDS of hours in this project.)  Through the efforts of many church members (and a lot of extra effort by our Church Administrator, Dusty Kertis, and Tory Brown), the concept of our own Ebenezer was fabricated and placed.  The monument you see before us IS OUR EBENEZER.  The stones in this monument are the very stones that we placed on that pile 6 years ago.

However … let it be known to the entire world that THIS IS NOT AN IDOL.  WE DO NOT WORSHIP THIS EBENEZER.  But we love and revere the One True God, and this monument serves as a reminder of His hand in our lives, as individuals AND as a body of believers known as Ebenezer Baptist Church.  May He and He alone receive all of the glory in this stone of help!!

Ebenezer

Should the Church be involved in foreign missions?

3 Mar

Believe it or not, that question is often in the hearts and minds of some.  I’ve heard it many times in many different ways, and not only in my church but in churches across the US:  “Why are we going to __________ when there are needs right here at home?”  That is a really good question.  Here, I believe, is God’s answer to that question from His word.

WHY be involved in foreign missions?

In Matthew 28, Jesus said these words just before He ascended into Heaven after the resurrection:  “19 Go therefore and make disciples of ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (NIV)  In the second half of Acts 1:8, Jesus said “you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the END OF THE EARTH.”  So the first, simple answer is that Christ COMMANDED us to be involved in GLOBAL MISSIONS.

But a deeper look at Acts 1:8b tells us that He not only commanded us to be involved globally, but LOCALLY as well.  So the biblical answer to this question is He commanded us to DO BOTH LOCAL AND GLOBAL MISSIONS.

So, WHERE ARE YOU INVOLVED?  When someone questions a church’s response to global missions, a legitimate question to ask is “What are YOU doing locally to build the Kingdom of God?”  I have never believed it is enough to state publicly what your church should be doing … If you have a heart for something that needs to be done, GET INVOLVED AND DO IT.  It is not enough to alert leaders to a need, but (to borrow a page from the Purpose Driven Church) if you have a passion for a ministry YOU need to help make it happen.  And that involves more than just alerting others to the need and expecting them to make it happen.

One of the things that makes our Honduras partnership work so well is we have leaders in that ministry who are passionate about it.  For a mission project and a partnership to endure, you must have passion.  You must pray and seek God’s face and allow Him to lead.  When we take the reigns away from Him and guide things in our own directions, we often make a mess.

Another element in this is God’s timing.  God’s timing is always perfect, but rarely what WE want it to be.  When we enter into a new ministry at Ebenezer, it takes time to allow God to work on the hearts and minds of His people.  At times, this can be very frustrating.  Over and over in God’s word we see examples of the Children of Israel in the most hopeless places… And then they turn to God.  And He does things of which we cannot even DREAM!!!  (1 Samuel 7 is a great example of that)

So, the real question here is not  “Should the church be involved in foreign missions?” or even “Should the church be involved in MISSIONS?”  The REAL question is this:  “WHERE ARE YOU INVOLVED?”

Knowing God is at work

17 Feb

One of the greatest compliments someone can ever pay me on a Sunday morning is “Were you preaching directly to me??”  Not that I do that.  The number of times I write a sermon and then something happens in the life of the church that is a perfect match for it is MORE than coincidence.  Often people think “David is just preaching to address this.. or that ..”  And they give me far too much credit.

When someone says “You were speaking directly to me” they need to realize that God engineered that!!  I really pray and seek His face for everything that I bring to the pulpit at EBC.  And there are even times when He leads me in a direction and, like Jeremiah, I say “Do we REALLY want to say that, Lord?”

S0 every time someone says something like that to me, it serves to confirm that HE is at work at Ebenezer.  And His people are listening to Him.  And I really like that!

So you want to lead??

13 Feb

Why?? Why do you want to lead??

When I first surrendered to ministry, I found myself receiving advice from every minister in the woods around Greenville, SC. Some of it was priceless. Some… Well, let’s not go there. And one puzzled me for YEARS. One minister looked me dead in the eyes, quite dramatically, and said “If you can be happy doing anything else, don’t do this.” And that was all.

I wondered about that for years… I’d like to think this is what he meant:

Leaders will be held to a higher standard one day when we stand before Christ. I firmly believe Jesus will hold me accountable for every church I serve. If this doesn’t make a pastor quake in his boots, something is wrong with him. So you want to lead?? Remember, God will hold you accountable.

Others will look up to you. And about that, Jesus warned in Mark 9:42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.” (NASB). Wow! We WILL be held accountable for EVERYTHING. ESPECIALLY the influence you have over young ones in Christ.

Leadership is a heavy mantle. Honestly, if I ever get it figured out I will let you know. If God truly calls you to it, He will make it happen. As long as you trust Him and follow as tightly as you can, you will make it through. But if you seek leadership for the pride or “fame” of it, now is the time to run and run like crazy.

One of THOSE moments

3 Feb

I had one of those moments yesterday in worship … One of those for which I am so thankful.

I have never heard a fellow pastor say “I just love doing funerals.”  I probably never will.  And you will NEVER hear me say that.  While a funeral is typically a simple service, every one takes a little out of you as a pastor.  Even though it does help when the deceased knows Christ, it makes these massive emotional withdrawals from your heart.  And when we have a bunch of them back to back, you get to this place where you feel like you are in the surf and huge waves keep crashing and knocking you down.

January is usually a busy month for these kinds of things.  And in 2014, February might be just as bad. After far too many funerals this past month, I got a phone call on Saturday that a dear lady was close to death.  I drove out to see her and her family.  I drove back, thinking soon Diana and I would get dressed for the EBC Sweetheart Banquet and have a date!!  Then, another call … Yet ANOTHER sweet lady from EBC was close to death.  I drove back to the hospital and prayed with her and her family.  As I drove back to the house, I started thinking to myself “Man, I’m not sure I can take this.”  After so much of it, your heart just aches.

During the Sweetheart Banquet I got a text that one of those ladies died.  Right before 8:30 worship Sunday morning, I got a phone call that the other one died.  Within 12 hours, Ebenezer lost two of the kindest ladies I have known in a while.

So, there I sat on the front pew during 8:30 worship.  Hurting.  Thinking about how those families were hurting.  Thinking about how empty my emotional gas tank was right then.  And we began to sing … Psalm 22:3 tells us that God inhabits the praise of His people.  So I just started signing as hard and loud as I could.  IT WAS AWESOME!! (Not the sound, mind you.  I am sure somewhere a pack of hound dogs was howling at the tops of their lungs.)

Then as I sat there, listening to the choir, God spoke …  I realized that I was right:  I cannot do this.  BUT HE CAN!!  He filled my heart.  He reminded me to stop TRYING to do it myself.  The words the choir sang were like medicine for my wounds.

Every time I come to worship with an empty cup, He fills it.  And not because I am a pastor.  Because I am HIS child!!

An Open Letter to the Parents of young children

1 Feb

Specifically, I hope every parent of a young child at Ebenezer will read this.  But it applies to every parent I know.  There is a battle waging for the hearts of your children.  Satan is trying everything he knows to steer them away from a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  And much of his success or failure will be placed in YOUR HANDS.

Been praying and thinking a lot today.  Thinking about my role at Ebenezer.  Thinking about how one day, I will stand before God and He will not only ask me about how I lived my life, He will hold me accountable for how I shepherded His flocks at the churches I have served.  One huge truth swelled up in my heart today and, even though I seldom EVER blog on a Saturday, I had to write this down.  One of my jobs is to remind parents of this fact:

YOU will teach your children FAR MORE about the reality of a relationship with Christ than I ever will.  

Your children will see if God is real to you in how YOU SERVE HIM.  HOW YOU REVERE HIM.  HOW YOU WORSHIP HIM.  Makes me wonder about what the children of parents who send them to church but never make time for it themselves REALLY think about God.  I KNOW there are parents with jobs that prevent them from being at church, and I KNOW there are circumstances that sometimes prevent it.  But how about those times when parents do the drive-by and then go out with friends or do their own thing??  Those that deep down, if they really would admit it, don’t find a relationship with God to be all that??  What are they teaching their children about LIVING FOR CHRIST?

But those are not the only parents who need to think about this.  WE ALL DO.  Because how we handle adversity and how we deal with crises and how ethically we do business with others ALL teach our children about how people live and conduct themselves.  We are teaching our children the realities of God by HOW WE LIVE.  No excuses.  No bones to be made about it.

Even when we do our best,  ULTIMATELY, each child will grow into an adult and be responsible for their own decision. All a parent can do it do their best to show Christ to their children. Some parents do the best they can to show their children Christ and the children still grow up and go their own way … Don’t ever stop loving, praying, and showing them Christ!!

What are YOU teaching your children about God?  Because you will teach them far more than I ever will …

Something bigger than the sum of us

27 Jan

Human nature is a funny thing.  It pulls us to focus on what WE want … on OUR needs … which would be great if that was the meaning of life.  But it is not.  One of the lies of the world is “all that matters is what matters to ME!!”  There is more to this life, but the devil doesn’t even want you to THINK about that.

When I accepted Christ, I made a commitment.  A commitment to be part of the family of God, the KINGDOM of God, and His kingdom truly is something bigger than me and my wants.  His kingdom is bigger than my family.  Actually, His kingdom is bigger than the sum of ALL of us.  And we not only BELONG to this kingdom, we are charged with BUILDING and ADVANCING this kingdom.  The only way we will glorify Him is to take this commitment seriously.

Kingdom thinking will lead us to consider how our actions impact those around us.  Just as we SHOULD think before we do anything that would bring shame or harm to our own families, we need to live with a discipline and wisdom that guides us away from harming the kingdom of God.  We need to be careful of what we do, what we say, and where we go.  It’s really not as hard as it seems.

This wisdom is freely available to all who will listen in the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  It is written as plain as day in the Bible.  It is here for us … The question is, ‘will we listen?’

If Christ is your Savior, you belong to something bigger than the sum of us all.  Today and everyday we need to renew our commitment to live like that is true!

A Short Time to Get There

22 Jan

Can you hear Jerry Reed singing the theme from “Smokey and the Bandit”??  Can you hear Burt Reynolds laughing at Jackie Gleason??  If not, you might be one of my blog readers who doesn’t see what I did with the title of yesterday’s and today’s blogs.

To be honest, they are not really related to each other.  I just had to do it.  But today I wanted to write about the urgency we, the church, MUST have in doing the work God put us here to do.  IF we believe we were created with purpose … IF we believe we were created to do good works God created for us in advance to do … then we also MUST believe what Jesus said when He told us the end would come like a thief in the night, when none of us expect it.  And wouldn’t it be a shame for Christ to return and find that we have made NO PROGRESS toward the work God made for us??  Don’t we need to get busy?

Add to this a world around us that moves farther and farther from God every day.  A predominate cultural influence that continues to paint a picture of the church as a joke, and God as dead.  More and more people become aware of these things every day, and yet no one is showing them or telling them about the Love of God.  And statistics that prognosticate the conventional church might not even exist in 30-50 years.

I am convinced that as long as we DO the things God has called us to do, this will not come true.  If we slip into the ruts of our traditions, if we continue down some of the paths the North American church is on, we might just make that prediction come true.  And what a sad day if that happened.  Because the influence we can potentially wield in our communities and in the world will be gone, too.  What a sad day that would be.

Yes, we as a church do have a looooong way to go and a short time to get there.  And we need to put the pedal to the metal and move in the right direction.  The direction in which He is calling each of us.

A LOOOONG Way to Go

21 Jan

I am SICK AND TIRED of playing around.  For years I have been kind of living this lifestyle that is damaging to me.  A foot in one world.  A foot in the other.  I cannot do it anymore.  Yes … I am taking a serious and aggressive approach to losing weight!!

It all started three weeks ago with a new friend.  We were talking about the fact that I have been drinking breakfast smoothies and stay hungry the rest of the day.  He asked me to try the “Eat like a King at breakfast, a prince at lunch, and a pauper at supper” approach.  (Okay … I am not doing the pauper thing yet). He encouraged me to eat a big breakfast, full of protein, fruit, and grains.  Get all of the metabolism pumping.  Then, for lunch, something reasonable.  And for supper I am doing something else reasonable, too.  He dared me to try it for a month.

Then, at the deacon soup supper at EBC, Diana and I were talking to ANOTHER friend and she told us about the MyFitnessPal app for my iPhone.  (They have a really cool website too.)  It helps me manage calories and FULL nutritional info on the foods I eat, exercise, and the amount of water I drink in a day.  It has an elaborate database with all kinds of foods.  I can scan the barcode of snacks and foods I eat and it automatically enters the nutritional info.  I can build recipes with the exact ingredients I put into a meal and it will combine them and calculate the nutrition based on the number of servings it makes.

There is another thing it does that I like that explains why I have been unable to lose weight to this point.  It has fast-food information from all of the restaurants I frequent (or USED to frequent) and I have discovered that all of these grilled chicken salads and sandwiches I would eat, thinking they were good for me, are just as bad as the fried stuff!!  Well, maybe they are a little better, but from a calorie and sodium standpoint, they are AWFUL!!  You can find some good things at Wendy’s and Chick-fil-a, but those are the only two I have found so far that have acceptable foods.

And two and a half weeks in, I have lost 9 pounds.  But I have a long way to go.  Pray for me!

 

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