The 5 "Be's" of Evangelsim (by Mike Bergman)

I saw this post today from Mike Bergman at SBC Voices and decided to share an abbreviated version of his post with a link for those desiring to read the whole thing. Basically, these are 5 tips for evangelism that are a little different from most evangelism pointers, here they are:

1.     Be talkative – if you are going to share, you’ve got to talk

2.     Be friendly – the Gospel is offensive, you cannot be

3.     Be authentic – be yourself and share with your personality

4.     Be different – a saved person is transformed, be different than a non-believer

5.     Be prayerful – the Holy Spirit calls, pray they receive Jesus

These are 5 good tips I hope you found worthy of thinking about as well.

What Is The Gospel?

This is a very well done Gospel presentation by SBTS.

What is the Gospel? from Southern Seminary on Vimeo.

Hell Is the Wrath of God in Effect by Mark Driscoll

Do We Really Believe What We're Saying? by David Platt

Do We Really Believe What We're Saying? from The Church at Brook Hills on Vimeo.

SBC 2010: B21 Lunch

For the first time I went to something called the B21 lunch. It was a collection of younger minds (honestly there were 3 younger minds and the establishment there) to discuss topics going on in Southern Baptist life. It was phenomenal to hear what the younger minds said. According to their literature, "Baptist21 is a group of young Southern Baptists pursuing Gospel-Centrality through the Local Church among the Nations to the glory of King Jesus in the 21st Century: We believe this is best stated: Gospel. Church. Mission."

Dr. David Platt (Pastor, Brookhill Church)represented the changing of the guard for what the long-lived establishment wants the new guard to look like (conservative, thoughtful, expository, biblically minded, great example). With one exception – Platt challenges the lifestyles of those living the American Dream and calls them to live sacrificially for the cause of Christ. His message is that God has called us to sacrifice everything for the Great Commission, therefore we must follow Jesus in Radical fashion to live out the Great Commission. My favorite part of his emphasis was not what he said, but how Johnny Hunt responded to it, saying that he had been challenged by Platt to give up some of his own comfort already having accomplished the American dream… Dr. Johnny Hunt (Pastor, FBC Woodstock) is phenomenal leader and his genuine heart/transparency is what makes him truly great!

Matt Chandler (Pastor, The Village Church), was also on stage. He is on the board of directors for Acts 29, and is also a Southern Baptist, thus his church is dually aligned. He was quizzed about why he is dually aligned. To summarize his message, he is Acts 29 because he loves and has a heart for church planting. He is Southern Baptist because he is conservative in his theology and loves our seminaries. He was also quick to point out that the GCR had a major role in bringing him back into the SBC fold. It is my hope that the denominational leadership will listen to his critique of SBC church planting efforts so we can properly resource, train, coach and equip church plants (something Acts 29 does exponentially better than SBC).


Dr. Jimmy Scroggins (Pastor, FBC West Palm Beach) was the last guy who caught my attention. Although he is the pastor of a very influential church, I really had never heard anything about him or the work he had accomplished. He is the pastor of FBC West Palm Beach, Fl. What I appreciated about his comments is that he expressed concern over many of the things many of us have been thinking. He said that although he likes the idea of the Cooperative Program, there are many things he dislikes about it. For instance, he does not agree with the way all the dollars are spent. There are concerns over the structure, overhead and such as well that bother him. It was an honest, fair, and much appreciated expression of concern.

With all this being stated, the best part of the B21 lunch was the free books that came with the affordable $7 lunch price tag. Everyone received 4-6 books, which was awesome. The one book I wanted (Radical by David Platt), was one of 5 I received. All in all, it was a great event to attend and I’ll look forward to attending in the future.

* I did not take any of these photos myself, I found them online.

Ed Young's Lifestyle Debacle

Ed Young is in more trouble about his lifestyle and company… ahem, church expenses. WFAA in DFW is reporting about his lavish lifestyle and company expenses. He has issued a response through his public relations firm – no, not a joke – denying any wrongdoing and shifting the blame and focus from himself to WFAA.

If Ed cared about transparency, he would disclose everything. Instead, he is playing the PR game to transfer attention from himself to WFAA. In his public response during a Saturday night church service, he talked about his salary and home as if it was all proper. He never disclosed his salaries (church + $ generated from work for the church + royalties + etc.). His lifestyle is ridiculous and he could/should learn a bunch from Francis Chan about giving to the need. Instead, he lives a lifestyle of extravagance (7,820 sq. ft. home, 1.1 million dollar condo, 8 million dollar leased jet).

Many argue the point, but I agree that his lifestyle is a detrimental issue to his legacy and immediate influence. The problem is that money is a root of all kinds of evil. This situation is sad for The Church, and can undo so much good Fellowship Church has accomplished.

If he is innocent of any wrong doing and is truly above reproach, transparency is his option. If he is guilty, repentance and transparency are his options. Either way, he should man-up and let the truth of the situation set him free… after all, what should a role model for such a huge church have to hide?

The natural response is to ask me if I do the same thing as an associate pastor of a much smaller church; which I do not. However, my family still lives in a starter home, we drive Hondas, and thus avoid question generated from a lifestyle of extravagance. Also, the information about my salary (and any other staff member at my church) is fully and readily available to any church member who requests it.

Here is another post on the subject.

Happy Reformation Day

Reformation Day commemorates Dr. Martin Luther's posting of his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. This act triggered the movement in world history known as the Reformation. While the historical date for the observance of Reformation is October 31st, most churches celebrate it on the last Sunday in October.


While it had profound and lasting impacts on the political, economic, social, literary, and artistic aspects of modern society, the Reformation was at its heart a religious movement. The Reformation was the great rediscovery of the doctrine of justification, that is, the good news of salvation by grace through faith.

For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church had been plagued by false doctrines, superstition, ignorance, and corruption. Since most ordinary Christians were illiterate and had little knowledge of the Bible, they relied on their clergy for religious instruction and guidance. Tragically however, monks, priests, bishops, and even the popes in Rome taught unbiblical doctrines like purgatory and salvation through good works. Spiritually earnest people tried to justify themselves by charitable works, pilgrimages, and all kinds of religious performances and devotions, but they were left wondering if they had done enough to appease God's righteous anger and escape His punishment.

The truth of the gospel -- the Good News that God is loving and merciful, that He offers each and every one of us forgiveness and salvation not because of what we do, but because of what Christ has already done for us -- was largely forgotten by both clergy and laity. The Holy Spirit used an Augustinian monk and university professor named Martin Luther to restore the gospel to its rightful place as the cornerstone doctrine of Christianity.

unChristian... And we wonder why!

To start, let me just say that this “pastor” is not a Southern Baptist and in no identifies as such. He never attended a seminary (or college), and also claims that the King James Version of Scripture is the only Bible without error. Typically, I would not be so deliberate to separate myself from a person, but his teaching and practice leads me to want to clarify that I do not agree with his practice or theology.

A sermon from Steven Anderson:


Steven Anderson is an extreme example of what is wrong with the American church. Negative impressions of Christians doubled between 1996 and 2007. People see Christians as hypocritical, inauthentic, anti-homosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental. In short, we are known more for what we are against than what we are for instead of what Jesus told us to be about, “they will know us by our love.” The fact that this guy would say he hates Obama is heresy to the cross of Christ. The fact that Anderson added he hopes Obama goes to hell is an abomination to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Be sure that those of us who identify hold true to the Bible where it states, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

An Interview with Steven Anderson:


Below is an interview of Gabe Lyons co-author of UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters. Hopefully, this will speak to our hearts and the direction we need to move towards as followers of Christ Jesus.

An Interview with Gabe Lyons on CNN:

unChristian Book Review

Here are some highlights from the book UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters, written by David Kinnaman & Gabe Lyons:

• Christianity has an image problem
• Ages 18-29 have a negative view of Christianity
• Negative impressions of Christians doubled between 1996 and 2007. Not because of our convictions, but because of our attitudes
• Research shows that life habits--including gambling, sexual activity, drinking, drug use, and so on--are only barely different between those who claim to be Christians and those who do not.
• No wonder people outside the church aren't impressed with Christ!
• But Christ actually does make a difference among those who pursue him faithfully.
• About 3% of youth, and up to 9% of older generations, espouse a Biblical worldview (defined in my review on unChristian), and among that group a genuine, positive difference shows up clearly.
• According to Kinnaman and Lyons, young people see Christians as hypocritical, too much focused on "getting people saved" (and therefore inauthentic), anti-homosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental. According to Kinnaman and Lyons, young people see Christians as hypocritical, too much focused on "getting people saved" (and therefore inauthentic), anti-homosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental.
• Good missiology: to hold the truths of Scripture in one hand, and a thorough, respectful knowledge of the culture in the other hand; and to communicate the Gospel accordingly
• “For all of us, our only hope for the fracture in our soul is in the cross of Christ”
• 29% of Americans say they are highly committed to Jesus Christ, only 3% espouse a Biblical worldview, defined for research purposes as adhering to 8 basic doctrines of Christian religion (for example, that God is the Creator, that Jesus died and rose again for our sins, that there is objective morality based in the Bible).
• “Christians are supposed to represent Christ to the world. But according to the latest report card, something has gone terribly wrong. Using descriptions like “hypocritical,” “insensitive,” and “judgmental,” young Americans share an impression of Christians that’s nothing short of . . . unChristian.”
• Called to love, be the most compassionate service-oriented people, contributing to the good of humanity
• In regards to those outside the Christian faith: listen, be concerned about their real needs, don’t be numbers driven

Good Friday

LifeChurch.tv Is Smarter Than Everyone Else

Brilliant would be the only word to describe Craig Groeschel and his team at LifeChurch.tv. A la the presidential debate on CNN, they will be integrating Facebook into all of their 11 services this weekend for Easter Sunday. While some have reservations about online church, it is impossible to argue a method of being all things to all people in hopes to, engage and intersect people “where they are at” online.


Jess from my church has talked about using a similar idea for real-time questions and interaction, but LifeChurch.tv is making it happen, and doing so on the grandest Sunday of them all. Kudos to Groeschel!

Live On Mission (pt. 2)

In church lingo we have the term CEO, but it does not Chief Executive Operator, it is a term that refers to those many people who only tend to come to church at Christmas and Easter. Easter is just around the corner, and we need to make sure we are inviting people to come to church so they can hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. Pastors everywhere need to be sure to share the story of how God loved us that whosoever believes in Him can have everlasting life. People need to come to a place where they decide to accept or reject and God that loves them limitlessly. If you are a follower of Christ, may you use Easter as an opportunity to share the true passion of Christ.

Disclaimer: I do not believe that the church is the only place where people should hear the Gospel. Each person who bears the name of Christ(ian) has been charged with the task of living to share Jesus on purpose. However, we also know that when Jesus if lifted up, He will draw men unto Himself so again, use Easter and its unique influence to invite people to church where they can hear how God much God loves them!

(The graph is can be found on edstetzer.com).

Live On Mission

Many people have a tendency to underestimate the power of their influence. Many Christians fail to think of the influence they have and how God can use that to draw people unto himself. In my time, I have learned that God places us in our jobs, not to draw a paycheck, but to draw people to Him through us. He places us in our community, to show the power of true community focused on serving others. He even puts us in our families to share Jesus to those in our family who do not know Him. Here is a graph that shows we should never underestimate our influence (courtesy of edstetzer.com).

11th Hour Salvation

Hughie Jones passed away March 22, 2009. He spent all but 9 days of his life refusing to talk about Jesus or hear what anyone had to say about Him. However, on March 13, 2009 all of that changed and he was washed clean by the blood of Jesus. Lying on what was to be his deathbed, after hearing the Gospel, Hughie talked to God and said, “Jesus Save Me.” Before he made that decision he listened about how Jesus loved him beyond measure and that there was nothing he could do to ever be too bad for God not to love him.

It is my opinion that he believed God loved him from the simple fact that his family loved him. Despite anything he had done, his daughter (Rachel, my mother-in-law) was constantly there for him. He knew his family loved him, which was proven by the visits made over the years, especially those made in his last days.

Another key component of Hughie being able to receive the free gift of God by calling upon the name of the Lord was his identifying with other who made decisions far worse than his. Hearing of Abraham, David, and Saul/Paul, he realized that salvation was open to all… a fact of Scripture that should bless our souls beyond belief.

In preparing for his funeral, God brought me to a portion of Scripture that demonstrates the matter of rewards is under the sovereign control of God. God is the One before whom all accounts will be settled, and he can distribute His grace whenever and to whomever he wants! Here is the passage, Matthew 20:1-16:

1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3"About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5So they went. "He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' 7" 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' 8"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' 9"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' 13"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."