Applying The Bible to Our Culture and World

These are the opinions of Jeff Phillips, pastor of an inner city Southern Baptist church in the heart of the bible belt. These views do not represent Woodfield Park Baptist Church, Ashley my wife, our 3 dogs or 3 cats.







Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Legalism versus Obedience

I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine this afternoon about an occurrence in the church he attends. The pastor and deacon council had recommended that church discipline be carried out upon an un-repentant homosexual who is a member of the congregation. The person in question had been dealt with through the scriptural method Jesus lays out for us in Matthew 18:16-20. When this person refused to turn from their lifestyle of sin Paul's admonition in 1 Corinthians 5 was brought before the church to "expel" the immoral person. A two-thirds vote was needed to carry out this biblical mandate to the church; it failed.

This brings up an interesting point. What constitutes legalism and what constitutes obedience? Many who voted for this person to maintain membership, of whom the bible says "will not inherit the kingdom of God," if they continue in this lifestyle, are claiming that they don't want to be a "fundamentalist" church. They view this as legalism, not love. Nothing, scripturally, could be further from the truth.

A simple definition of legalism is this: when we put our own opinions and beliefs above God's written word and expect others to follow them as they would scripture. This is what the Pharisees did. And sadly, that Pharisiacal spirit is still very much alive in our churches. You see, obedience to God's word is not legalism, it is obedience. It is the mark of our love for Christ who tells us, "If you love Me, obey My commands(John 14:15)." When we obey God's word, difficult as it may sometimes be, we are showing true biblical love. But in the church today, the world's definition of love, which is expressed through tolerance of others instead of genuine concern for their immortal soul, is more prevalent than biblically defined love.

Biblically defined love in this instance is defined by God. Galatians 6:1-2 tells us to gently try to restore a fellow Christian who has fallen into sin, taking care not to fall into sin ourselves. The person who is to do this should be spiritual, have judged themselves and found themselves not also living a life of sin. Jesus in Matthew 18 tells us that the first conversation and attempt at restoration, which is always the goal, is to occur one-on-one with the person who is overtaken, practicing as a lifestyle, any biblically defined sin. Homosexuality certainly fits this qualification. If the person cannot be convinced of their sin and does not repent, several people are to visit with the person to express, in love, their deep concern for their sinful lifestyle. If the person still is unwilling to repent Jesus says take them before the church, and have nothing more to do with them. Paul confirms this in 1 Corinthians 5.

Because of a lack of true Christian love for this person, members of this church, many who do not even attend(that's a different issue altogether) have literally affirmed this person's sin and approved of it. They, in fact, are the legalists, as they have put their own opinion over the clear teachings of scripture. And their legalism in this case could have eternal ramifications for this individual. When we turn a blind eye to open, unrepentant sin in the body, we give approval to all sin. As Paul says, "a little leaven(sin) will work it's way through the whole loaf." If I give tacit approval to one person's sin, how can I help another overcome theirs, which is our biblical exhortation in Galatians 6?

So when it comes to the church you attend, is their a spirit of obedience, or, do the opinions of man override the clear but sometimes difficult teachings of the bible? How you answer that question will let you know whether you are in a Spirit led church or a worldly church. I feel for the good people who sought to do God's will in this church. Stand fast my brothers and sisters, for you truly loved this person enough to be honest and truthful with them. Continue to pray for them, and also for those who now openly condone their sin. Repentance is needed all around.

Friday, November 19, 2010

SCBC Convention Reflections-Where Are We Going?

This past week was the annual get together known as the South Carolina Southern Baptist Convention in Columbia. During this time messengers can come from every Southern Baptist church in South Carolina, though most choose not to participate. A Pastor's Conference featuring preaching on Monday is followed by basically a day and a half long business meeting with a few messages intermingled. Sounds thrilling, huh?

While tedious at times it is a necessary gathering to hash out the business for the coming year. Officers are elected, the budget discussed and other minor business matters are debated and settled. I'm not a big fan of business meetings but they must occur. So what was settled and what is our direction for the coming year?

My observations are as follows:

1) There is still a large albeit subtle age division in the SBC. The average age of the registered attendee at this convention was 50+ as very few younger people were present. I'm 46 and I was in the youngest 20% present. Young leaders are either turned off or disinterested because they feel ignored or unable to institute needed change. We elected Sonny Holmes as our president, who is around 60 years old. I pray he will reach out to the younger leaders. The younger generation must become engaged in the sometimes distasteful aspects of denominational politics. Is Holmes the man to begin this integration, we'll see. If we cannot unite generationally, our convention is destined to continue to slide into irrelevancy.

2) There is still much consternation over the Great Commission Resurgence passed at last springs national convention meeting. Some if not many are uncomfortable with this plan, but the agenda is settled. Discussion time is over and this is the direction we are heading. Our focus now needs to be HOW are we going to accomplish the goals set before us while maintaining the important ministries that could be affected by the coming changes. We have a target, but no clear road map right now. Personally, I feel our priorities need adjusting. I'm not sure how we will achieve a Great Commission Resurgence until we first have a Greatest Commandment Recovery. How can we spread the love and gospel of Jesus Christ if we do not first love Him with all of our heart? No method, program or institution can accomplish this apart from Him. As a denomination, we do not tithe; we do not take the gospel effectively outside the walls of our churches; we do not love others as ourselves. These are the obstacles that truly hinder us, not a legislative plan.

3) After speaking with numerous people from all areas of our state, the local church is in trouble. Many spoke of how churches were ready to close their doors due to a lack of funding and more importantly, members. Churches all across our state are simply not viable anymore. Am I distressed about this, I guess a little. But quite frankly, some churches need to close their doors. They will not close because of outside influences, but rather, they have committed suicide. Through divisions and disunity, selfishness and sedentary practices, God is simply removing their lampstands. I expect too see more and more of this, sadly.

4) Money and numbers. I realize the annual convention is mostly a business meeting, but as a convention, we are still far to focused on "nickles and noses." Intellectual honesty with ourselves is lacking. Our national convention numbers show us with nearly 17 million members, yet on any given Sunday less than 7 million attend church. The only reason I can see us trumpeting the 17 million number is for political clout. An organization claiming Christ that is so focused upon political change instead of spiritual is not being honest with itself.

So where are we going? Honestly, I'm not sure. I do know where the answer lies. John 15:5 tells us, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." Why are we struggling? Why are we not bearing the fruit we should? Why do we seem to rehash the same issues over and over? Well, "apart from Him," we can do nothing. How do we abide in Him? "Love the Lord God with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind and all of your strength;" and "love thy neighbor as yourself." The answer lies within us, and our willingness to "deny' ourselves, pick up our "cross," and "follow" Him. If we are not willing to do this, Jesus says we are "unworthy to be" His "disciple." Only true disciples of Christ can change our denomination and world. Are we willing?

Thursday, November 11, 2010

God's Word Is.....

Psalm 19:7-10, "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgements of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether; More to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."

I had a wonderful witnessing opportunity yesterday with a young lady who had serious misconceptions of God's word. She was insistent that in addition to being saved by grace, through faith, that we as Christians must also keep the whole law of Moses to be saved and live the Christian life. This is exactly the same false teaching Paul encountered when he wrote his letter to the Galatians, as a group known as Judaizers were teaching this same thing; That salvation=grace+faith+keeping the law. Paul forcefully rebuked this teaching, proclaiming the keeping of the law is works, and works cannot save us.

What this young lady could not grasp is that God Himself had changed portions of the law, the old covenant, when Jesus, the New Covenant(Heb 8), came to earth. The dietary portion of the law was changed. Jesus Himself said, "It's not what goes into a man's mouth that condemns him, but rather, what comes out of it." In Acts 9 Peter receives a vision from God 3 times declaring all things clean regarding food, saying, 'what God has made clean, let no man make unclean." Jesus, the New Covenant, the "sacrifice once and for all," also changed the ceremonial religious law with His appearing. We no longer have need to offer animal sacrifices for forgiveness of sin, and we now worship on Sundays(Acts 20:7), the first day of the week to remember the resurrection, instead of Saturday, the Sabbath. While we no longer are bound by the 4th commandment to "keep the Sabbath," which is still Saturday, the principle of a day consecrated to God still applies, and that day for the church is Sunday.

It brought forth a debate about the word of God. An apologetics witness so to speak. And the debate over God's word is central to truly following Jesus as He intends. While all of the bible is true, "God breathed(2 Tim 3:16)," written through men as "given by the Holy Spirit(2 Pet 1:20-21)." God has worked in different ways over time to the same end. We call this theologically dispensationism. We must look at God's word as a whole, not just focusing on a single verse or part, to gain full understanding of His work on earth today. But in all cases, God's word is absolute. Whatever we may think or believe here on earth, the debate over God's word is already settled in heaven, and nothing is going to change it.

These verses in Psalm 19 are a brief snippet of what God's word is. Notice the words given to God's word here: law, testimony, statutes, commandment, fear, judgments. A law is not to be broken. A testimony means it's God's word. Statutes communicate directions to be kept. Commandments are to be obeyed. And we should most definitely have a healthy fear of the Lord and the judgments that will come if we do not follow His word.

Now notice the adjectives used to describe God's word. It is: perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, and true. Perfect means it is complete, there is nothing that needs to be added for us to have an understanding enough to be converted to the faith. It is sure, we can trust it. It is right, and in it's ways are the path to righteousness. It is pure and clean, meaning holy, as we serve a holy God. It is true, as God is incapable of lying.

Verse 10 poses an interesting statement, and a question to be asked; How do we view God's word? Is it more valuable than gold, and sweet as honey to us? Do we see it as His testimony giving us the guidelines on how to live a godly life? Do we believe it is perfect? Sure? Right? Pure? Clean? True? Or, is it an inconvenience? Does it cramp our style? Is it burdensome? To demanding? Do we take it out of context to fit our beliefs, applying our lives and the world to the bible? Or, do we take what God has said and correctly apply it to the world?

How we answer these questions will tell us how well we are living for God. An old preacher once said; "God said it, I believe it, that settles it." Well, that's almost right. In actuality, God said it, that settles it. What I believe really doesn't matter. If what I believe does not correspond with God's word, it is me who is wrong, not God. So what is God's word to you?

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Happy Birthday USMC! oooooooh-raaaaaah

John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."

Today marks the 235th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. With tomorrow being Veterans Day, I thought it a good time to salute those who today, and in the past, have served and often made the ultimate sacrifice for us as citizens and our nation.

I have many friends, including several here on Facebook, who have served in the Marines and the other branches of our armed services. I have even more who have children who are currently serving, placing themselves in harms way, so that we may continue to enjoy the freedoms guaranteed by our constitution. I myself never served, but am eternally grateful for the patriotism and selflessness demonstrated by these brave men and women.

The Marines were founded at the founding of our nation. They are universally recognized as having paid the highest cost by percentage of any branch of the military. All of our military arms have paid a high cost, but the Marines have often been first in at some of the more difficult battles in our nations history. Here in South Carolina, we are blessed to have strong ties to the Marines with the Paris Island Training Center located on our coast in Beaufort.

The verse above from John 15:13 has Jesus speaking of his forthcoming death on the cross to His disciples. I'd like to paraphrase it and apply it to our armed services; "Greater love has no one for his nation than to lay down his life for it." Today, and tomorrow on Veterans Day, let us truly appreciate the gift that the lives of our fighting men and women has purchased for us. Freedom is not free. It comes with a cost, many times a very high one. It is won, not given or granted. And ours has been won by the price of blood, just as our ultimate freedom in Christ was won at the expense of His blood.

So happy birthday Marines! And thank you Army, Air Force, Navy, National Guard and Coast Guard for your valiant service and sacrifice. May God build a hedge around you as you fight for our continued freedom. I am reminded of the words of the great Army general Douglas MacArthur, after he retired in a speech at West Point. When asked what his last thoughts we be on earth, he replied, "the corps, and the corps, and the corps." Let us never allow these true Americans to slip from our thoughts and prayers. Oooooooooh-raaaaaaaaaah!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Our Children''s Inheritance

Isaiah 39:8, "So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, 'The word of the lord which you have spoken is good!' For he said, 'At least there will be peace and truth in my days.'"

Isaiah chapter 39 is a puzzling chapter. Here we have King Hezekiah of the Southern Kingdom of Judah and Benjamin. Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings in Israel's history, yet here, after his life has been extended by 15 years as he is healed from what appears to be cancer, we get this confounding statement in verse 8.

Here after his illness, Hezekiah receives envoys from Babylon, and then foolishly shows them all the wealth of Jerusalem and his kingdom. Isaiah the prophet then confronts Hezekiah, telling him what will be the consequences of his actions. He reveals to Hezekiah that his entire kingdom will be taken into captivity by Babylon. All his wealth and even his children, his sons, will be carried away. It even says his sons will be made eunuchs! So can I ask a question here? How, as Hezekiah said in verse 8, is this good? Hezekiah here, is more focused on his well being than his children's well being, and sadly, that describes many in our generation today who are raising children.

In our society, we are raising the first generation in American history that is set to enjoy a lower standard of living than their parents. Many parents today are smothered in debt requiring both parents to work full time jobs simply to pay the bills and keep the possessions that have been accumulated. As a result, children learn poor money management and focus on things instead of right relationships. The family today spends less time together as a unit than at any time in history. Parents, with hectic schedules, wind up parenting individually instead of as a pair. Nightly family dinners used to be a fixture, now they are the exception. Children are appeased instead of receiving proper discipline, for the convenience of the parents. While all parents desire a close relationship with their children, a child needs a parent, not a best friend. And this does not even take into account the struggles of the over 30% of parents who are single and raising children.

Spiritually, the legacy many are leaving their children is even more disastrous. Fewer families attend church today than ever before. Parents, your child not wanting to attend church, is no reason for them not to be in church. Many children have never seen their parents pray together, other than grace at a meal. Family devotions and bible study are almost non-existent. Someone once said, "To our forefathers the Christian faith was an experience; To our fathers it was an inheritance; To our generation it is a convenience; And to our children it is a nuisance." Spiritually, we are raising an illiterate generation.

I am not a parent, but I know many. I see the struggles and hear their frustrations as they endeavor to raise children in this wicked generation. I do not believe their has ever been a time more difficult in history to raise a child. Which means it is more important than ever to focus on our children's future than our own well being. The inheritance we leave them, both societal and spiritual, is upon us. Will it be an inheritance based upon God's standard and His vision of the family, or one corrupted by the world. Our future, and theirs, truly hinges upon this decision.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Two Voices and Friends-Bob Fulton and Jim Phillips

I have to admit I got a little teary eyed yesterday afternoon when the news of the death of Bob Fulton began to circulate. Bob Fulton, and my dad, Jim Phillips, were synonymous with athletics at the University of South Carolina and Clemson University. They were not athletes or coaches, but rather the fans connection to their favorite sports teams through their combined 75 years of radio broadcasts of Gamecock and Tiger sporting events. In this age of 24/7 television sports, only those of us over 40 can remember back when it was the radio that brought far away games to life, and Bob Fulton and Jim Phillips were peerless in the craft of radio play-by-play. They painted the audio picture of touchdowns, jump shots and home runs to an entire state, cementing their legacy as legends.

But Bob and my dad shared far more than a joint profession, they were truly great friends. As my dad described it, it was an odd relationship. Bob was usually tied down with USC events while dad was similarly occupied by Clemson activities, so they really didn't see alot of each other. But that did not stop them from forging a bond that transcended sports, and remained, even to death. Theirs was a friendship built on mutual respect and a similar background as mid western transplants to the south who found a home, and built a legacy that will never again be equalled.

I could recount many memories of Bob and dad. A few that immediately come to mind are the two working together, something they really enjoyed, at the College World Series in 1977 or on numerous High School Football North/South games. I remember the emotion of Bob when dad arranged for him to be honored on the field at halftime of Bob's last Clemson/USC game in 1994. And of course, I remember Bob Fulton subbing for dad on the Clemson radio network that Saturday after dad died and calling, flawlessly I might add, a Clemson touchdown drive to the amazement and joy of Clemson fans everywhere.

But I believe another, less well known story, best illustrates the special friendship these two radio legends enjoyed. I do not remember the exact year this took place, but I was there so the details are accurate. It occurred before a Clemson/USC baseball game in Columbia one spring.

Bob was usually laughing and joking whenever you saw him. Whenever he and dad got together, it was a great time. But on this particular day, Bob was not acting his normal self. He was quiet and engaging in just pedestrian conversation, and soon it was apparent he had something to tell dad he was not anxious to tell him. Finally, Bob spoke out and told dad his grandson, Danny Johnson, had signed to play basketball at Clemson. Me and dad had a big laugh about the "voice" of the Gamecocks son playing basketball at Clemson, but Bob was still uneasy. He continued slowly, finally revealing something he wasn't quite sure how to reveal. Not only was Danny Johnson, grandson of Bob Fulton, to play basketball at Clemson, USC's arch rival. The hard part for Bob was to tell dad his grandson was black.

Bob was most certainly proud of his grandson, but back then, and sadly, even today, many look at race above all things. He was concerned his grandson may be in for a special ribbing at the hands of some Clemson fans. I just remember me and dad looking at each other and busting up laughing at this point, as we knew something Bob did not know.

It was at this moment my dad reached into his pocket, and pulled out his wallet. In it were pictures of a beautiful young black girl. As he showed Bob the pictures, dad proudly proclaimed; "Bob, I'd like you to meet my granddaughter, Erica." Now this is a Christian blog, so I won't quote what Bob said here, but it was followed by that loud baritone laugh he was so well known for. In a moment of simple human connection, these two radio legends had seen their friendship come to even a deeper level. A strong bond became an unbreakable one, as shared angst became shared experience.

I will miss Bob Fulton greatly. He was a true gentleman and class human being. He and my dad were alike in many ways, mostly though, in their love for the people who followed their teams through their voices. Era's end, and the era of the great radio announcer who learned the trade when radio was king, is about gone. Only a few, Jack Crystal(at Mississippi St.), Woody Durham(at North Carolina) and Johnny Holliday(at Maryland) are still active. Larry Munson(formerly of Georgia) is retired and ailing. We'll never see these kind again. But let us remember, they were more than just radio guys who found fame in our state, they were true friends. May God be with the family of Bob Fulton, and I pray that in heaven, a new voice is singing our Lord's praises.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Political Gridlock

The votes have been cast and the nation has spoken. Once again, our nation has rejected single party rule and brought Washington basically to a stalemate beginning in January 2011. The Democrats still control the oval office and have a slight majority in the Senate while the Republicans scored a historic victory in the House of Representatives gaining 60+ seats and a substantial working majority. So what will this mean for our nation?

Well, if history is any indicator, this could be a good thing. I, along with many people, am completely fed up with business as usual regarding our federal government. Some Republicans are now claiming they have a mandate for change based upon last nights election results, just as Democrats did after the 2008 and 2006 elections and Republicans in the 2004 and 2002 elections. What I believe this type of swing really shows is that Americans are not fully comfortable with either party having full control of all 3 branches of our legislative government.

The simple truth is, gridlock, a condition that means neither political party will move forward major legislative change without cooperation from the other side, is a good thing for us as citizens. While we will see many fresh faces from the Republican side in Washington, history tells us it will not take long for some of them to blend right in with the Washington way of doing things. And the Washington way of doing things is broken.

Our federal government has exploded and is bloated beyond anything the founding fathers would recognize. It's tentacles have reached in to parts of our lives we never conceived it could. Our national debt is 13 trillion dollars and revenues are down. In large part this is because either one side of the isle or the other has been in functional control of the government for the past 10 years. Gridlock will change that.

The less our federal government can legislate, the better for us. What this really means is that escape from this current economic malaise will be placed upon the shoulders of American business, ingenuity and people, and not our government. That is a very good thing! Government by and large inhibits financial growth, it does not help it.

So will the Republicans remain humble, accepting their share of the blame, when our national debt grew at record levels in the last 4 years of the Bush administration? Will they follow through on their promises to extend tax cuts and limit spending? Will Democrats acknowledge that they have reached to far with these far reaching government programs and return to the center? History says they will say the right words, but little actual compromise will be reached. And that means gridlock, and little if anything getting done. Hooray for gridlock! It's the best thing that could have happened for us the American people!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Cast Your Vote Today

Romans 10:13, "For 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'"

Today is election day in America. In South Carolina we'll be electing a new governor, along with deciding who will represent us in the Senate, House of Representatives and numerous state and local offices. It is a day all Americans should cherish as it is our opportunity to exercise our freedom of choice as to who will govern our land.

We'll make choices between Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals, moderates and third parties. We'll place our trust in the hands of men and women we really don't know anything about to lead our nation, state and local areas how we feel they should be led.

Some will vote against incumbents as they do not approve of the direction things are going. Many will vote their pocketbooks as financially they are worse off than they were during the last election cycle. Some will vote a straight ticket giving no thought to the individual they are voting for. Most will choose not to vote at all as they are disengaged or simply fed up with politics as a whole.

But today I urge you to consider casting a vote of a different kind. The bible speaks of an election, and it's the most important vote of your life. Today many will cast a vote for the person they believe can best meet their needs. Biblical election is sort of the same.

Nearly 2000 years ago God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, came to earth to fulfil our greatest need: the need of a Savior to forgive us of our sins. You see all of us have sinned, and are in need of forgiveness. Don't believe me, well take this short test.

1) Have you ever lied? What does that make you? A liar.
2) Have you ever stolen anything? What does that make you? A thief.
3) Have you ever looked upon a man or woman in lust? Well, Jesus said that whoever looks upon another in lust has committed adultery in their heart, so what does that make you? An adulterer.

These are just 3 of the 10 commandments. If you were to stand before God today, would you be found guilty or innocent? If He had to judge you today, would you go to heaven or hell? Understand this, God must judge, as He is just and has promised He will do so. None of us will avoid this judgment. So how do you avoid the sentence of guilt that we all rightly deserve?

Well the bible tells us we have an "advocate." That can literally be interpreted as a defense attorney. His name is Jesus, and if we will choose Him, realizing that He alone can forgive us of our sins and "cleanse us from all unrighteousness," we can avoid an eternal guilty verdict. He was sent to us for that specific purpose, as "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." He wants us to choose Him and Him alone, from our hearts, and to follow Him in obedience and faithfulness. He wants us to look to His word, the bible, as our guidance, and accept it as absolute truth. He wants you, to vote for Him with all of your heart.

So as we go to the polls today, I'll ask you, have you first been to the cross? The vote you cast today will be limited by time, but the choice you make for Jesus will insure an eternity with God. Will you join the elect, and ask Jesus to be your Savior?