Comments for Shepherd the Flock

Comment on Earthly Blessings and God’s Favor by Phil McCheddar

Phil McCheddar — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:35:03 +0000

Remember that it is one of the greatest plagues on this side of hell, to be given up to our own desires, and that by [our] eagerness and discontents [we] provoke God thus to give [us] up…. God may give you that which you so eagerly desire, as he gave “Israel a king, even in his anger,” Hosea. 13:10,11. Or as he gave the Israelites “their own desire, even flesh which he rained upon them as dust, and feathered fowls as the sand of the sea; they were not estranged from their lust but while their meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them,” Psalm. 78:27, 29-31. “They lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert, and he gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls,” Psalm. 106:14,15. God may say, Follow your own lust, and if you are so eager, take that which you desire; take that person, that thing, that dignity which you are so earnest for; but take my curse and vengeance with it: never let it do you good, but be a snare and torment to you.
Richard Baxter “Directions Against Sinful Desires and Discontent”

Comment on Free Gas Giveaway’s to Save Souls by fred

fred — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:44:38 +0000

“I mean, I’d maybe give a pass to a gimmick once in a while, if when the people came through the doors, we had a Jonathan Edwards preaching to them.”

I understand this type of thought. We live in an age when image and marketing are the lures for anything. In my town there are many businesses that hire (for very low wages) people to stand on the corners of streets and hold a sign or wear a ridiculous outfit to catch peoples attention. It must work for they keep doing it. This type of attraction (marketing) tells me that people want both entertainment, especially in the form of absurdity, or some sort of gain (free gas)which stroke the carnal natures of our being. The difference though between what the church does and the pizza shop does is that when we go to the pizza shop , we expect pizza. When they are allured to the church, what do they expect to find there? Definitely not church as your grandma did it.

The church is to be unlike the world. It should be different period. Truthfully, the church that stays the same has more appeal to me in this age of constant change. I want something without fluff, in your face marketing, manipulations of my will, etc. I want honesty, constancy, an anchor in the storm—a place and people I know I can count on that will not be blown about by the winds of change.

Change and the manipulations to get people to accept and desire change is only catering to our carnal lusts. It is not necessarily a good thing. We have thrown away everything and now we are paying the price, both economically, environmentally, and through the toll that it places on the human mindset. We panic now when we can not have change as readily. Watch when the availability of food, fuel and homes become harder and harder to get and people can not get “change”(marketed stuff and fluff) as they have grown accustomed to. Life will seem meaningless and empty to them.

Then and maybe then, the church can offer some sanctuary from the hodgepodge of this society and age, in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Comment on Reformed revival not as good as it seems by Gordan

Gordan — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:48:37 +0000

“Hopefully the John 3:16 conference coming up will provide more of the same…”

That’s hilarious, in a totally non-funny sort of way.

Comment on Free Gas Giveaway’s to Save Souls by Gordan

Gordan — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:03:58 +0000

Nathan, not defending gimmicks at all here, but I’m thinking (with Tom Ascol) the larger problem is that, once we’ve got them in the building with the gimmick, then we preach them a pseudo Gospel that tends to multiply false converts.

I mean, I’d maybe give a pass to a gimmick once in a while, if when the people came through the doors, we had a Jonathan Edwards preaching to them.

That’s probably yet another indicator of my woefully incomplete sanctification, but there ya go…

Comment on Free Gas Giveaway’s to Save Souls by Nathan White

Nathan White — Mon, 12 May 2008 01:44:49 +0000

Scott said:
“And we can work together under the big tent of the SBC?”

As long as we are upfront and honest about our intentions, clear and precise in defining the gospel, and consistent in identifying the ramifications of different beliefs, then yes, we can work together in the SBC. Unfortunately, as you well know Scott, far too many care about politics and pats on the back. Fear of man and the lust for popularity are very power things…

Comment on Free Gas Giveaway’s to Save Souls by scott morgan

scott morgan — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:49:46 +0000

Nathan,
If it is not FBC Woodstock then it’s someone else giving away cars and also gasoline. This is not suprising about FBC Snellville because I was on the pastoral staff as the minister of evangelism in the mid 90’s and we did the same stuff but more often.
FBC Snellville was once the largest SBC church in the state in the mid to late 90’s and we were baptizing 800 people a year but the attendance only went up a little. What does this tell us about what we are preaching and how we shepherd. I’m guilty as charged because I was right in the middle of it . They bought me new suits, shoes, dinner cards , and mini Fla vacations on the church card because of our baptism numbers and outreach night attendance.

**** ” And we can work together under the big tent of the SBC “??????????

Comment on Earthly Blessings and God’s Favor by Thomas Twitchell

Thomas Twitchell — Fri, 09 May 2008 03:00:06 +0000

I suppose that everyone finds out eventually what Scripture says, With riches come travail, but when God gives the increase he adds no trouble to it. (myaphrz).

We just don’t know, I think is the point of Solomon. Whether it is riches or poverty, he said they both end up in the same place. If we take it to the Judgement seat, then it is not going to be the condition of our lives, but the condition of our hearts. There is in the course of the apostle’s life where he “learns” to be content no matter what the circumstances. Discontentment is a disturbing sign of one who believes he deserves riches. What great blessing is there then when God gives us relief from the desires that keep us busy about many things. The disciples had it right when they said “Who then can be saved?” Realizing that we are all are as rich toward ourselves as God was toward Solomon. How hard it is to get to heaven. But then, what God uses to break a man can also be that thing which he uses to harden another. But such are the forturnes of the plagues that man brings upon himself.

Comment on Are Spiritual Gifts really Miraculous? by Gordan

Gordan — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:30:19 +0000

I agree with you on the timing of the gifts.

What do you have that you didn’t receive? Because you received it before your conversion, that makes it less God’s gift? He’s known you were His since before the foundation of the world, so the instant He gave you this gift or that really goes back to that pre-Creation decree anyway.

Comment on As a Calvinist, do you REALLY agree with Spurgeon? by Bill Formella

Bill Formella — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:17:31 +0000

Gordan, I think that speculation may be somewhat accurate. I think we are sometimes guilty of over reacting to the abuses around us. I’ve seen people paranoid about repeating a chorus out of fear of being like those that emphasize building emotion over lyrical depth. The church I was a member of during the time I was brought to believe the doctrines of grace came right out and said that Sunday morning was for evangelism and Sunday evening is for teaching. Worship, of course, would be that 15 minutes of singing before everything else started. I’m sure your options C & D are a reaction to that kind of error.

On the other hand, though I’m not a preacher, I’m having a hard time understanding the difficulty of incorporating the gospel into preaching on any text. I can’t see what you might preach on that wouldn’t lead to the grace of God and a time of explaining how that grace is administered to to the sinner. Just a thought from a layman. (If you say that fast it sounds like “lame man”.)

Comment on As a Calvinist, do you REALLY agree with Spurgeon? by Gordan

Gordan — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:18:18 +0000

Sorry, but I meant to include above the speculation that this idea may be a conservative reaction against the Seeker Sensitive movement. (Church isn’t for seekers, it’s for worshippers, that sort of thing.)