When the Holy Spirit Does Not Do It's Job...Call Evangelist Steve Hale!

The current issue of Baptist Press (the newspaper of the Southern Baptist Convention) includes an article by professional evangelist Steve Hale which is titled "Evangelism in Action: Evangelists key to helping Southern Baptists win lost..." I'd like to spend a little bit of my time discussing this article because to be honest, it really annoyed me. The title alone was enough to make me cringe, but I decided to hold in the retching and read the entire article. I should have not held it in.

As most of you know, I was a Southern Baptist until about one year ago; I would still be a Southern Baptist if I had not been told, after attempting to confront a sin issue, that I might need to make a "hard decision" and find another church for my family. Despite this, I hold the Southern Baptist in high regard even if I have some serious concerns about the direction in which the Convention is heading, especially its rabid anti-Calvinism (sure to become even more problematic under the leadership of Johnny Hunt, anti-Calvinist extraordinaire!). I mention this only so you know that I don't search out things to complain about regarding the SBC, but when something like this (Hale's article) pops up and is given the authority of the Convention...then yes, I feel it is important to speak out against it.

On to the article:

Hale begins by bemoaning the lack of baptisms within the churches of the SBC, stating that "10,000 of them [churches] baptized no one last year and another 11,000 baptized less than six. Sixty percent of our 43,000 churches failed to baptize one teenager last year. In fact, if a church baptized 29, it was in the top 2 percent of the entire denomination."

Don't get me wrong here...I am all for baptizing new Believers. But if we should be wailing about any lack it should be about the lack of true expository preaching in the pulpits of the SBC! And if churches baptize people just to place a check mark on their little tally book then they are in SIN! Baptize those who confess with their mouths and believe in theirs hearts that Jesus Christ is Lord! Oh oh. Did I just say "Lord"? Sorry, that can no longer be taught can it? He is Savior first but not necessarily Lord. At least that's what too many SBC churches seem to be teaching! To their shame.

Back to my point though...if a church baptizes ONE person in a year, and that is a true convert, then the church is doing well. If a church baptizes 29 and 25 of them are not following the Lord a year, and the other 4 are so-called carnal Christians...what is the benefit to those false converts? They have been deceived into thinking themselves saved, but unless they truly repent at some time, they will not enter into the presence of the Lord!

But okay...let us go with Hale's argument. SBC churches are not baptizing enough (the only way to tell whether a church is fulfilling the Great Commission apparently). What is the solution? Hale has it!

"...if you were to ask most of our Southern Baptist evangelists, it would not be uncommon for them to see 29 professions of faith in a four-day revival meeting. If, indeed, a church can see more people saved in four days by utilizing a vocational evangelist than in an entire year, then why are local church revivals not being scheduled by the hundreds and why are evangelists not being utilized as in days past?"

There are many problems with this paragraph...but I want to address only two. 1) scheduling revivals? Isn't this the biggest problem we have? Thinking we can schedule a revival? Yet this is one of the biggest fallacies embraced by the SBC! The word revival means bringing "restoration to life, consciousness, vigor, strength, etc." and "an evangelistic service or a series of services for the purpose of effecting a religious awakening: to hold a revival." See the problem? The Holy Spirit is the One who brings revival! Not man. Yet too many churches, especially in the SBC, act like they've called upon God, told Him when to show up, then called a special paid person to come and bring special messages (and apparently powers) that will cause the Holy Spirit to do His job!

Sorry...it does not work this way. And it is Arminian theology that leads pastors and evangelists to think it can be done. Because, after all, it is WE who save people, right? Wrong.

Another thing, the evangelist (the kind that Hale would have us bring into churches anyhow) offer up an emotional appeal to people without calling them to repentance! Those numbers he says the evangelists are responsible for are the very ones who fall away soon after the evangelist leaves to some other church! At the SBC church I attended, I was present when Hale came to "evangelize" our church. I even agreed to be one with whom those who came forward would speak to after they came to speak with the pastor and Hale. Was it our unsaved neighbors and relatives who flocked down the aisles to repent of their sin? No. It was, for the most part, people who'd been in the church most of their lives! They came to "rededicate" their lives to Christ, but even though they agreed to enter into discipleship studies, I never was able to meet with the person I prayed with! And it was not through lack of trying to make myself available and constantly offering to change my schedule in order to meet! So if what happened at my church was indicative of what happens everywhere Steve Hale goes, then it's no wonder I pray to the Holy Spirit and not Hale for the salvation of my loved ones who do not know the Lord!

Steve Hale then makes a pitch for the professional evangelist (and by the way, in case you missed it...he is one). He says that to do without the professional evangelist is to ignore the clear teachings of Scripture. After all, these penniless evangelists are doing without in order to bring the Word to the lost...oh wait a minute..no they are not (more on this later).

Steve says, "those men who leave their families week after week to reach souls for Christ see the difference that revivals make in the life of a church.Yet, the perception is that "nobody" ever schedules a revival anymore. And to be sure, most do not. Consequently, the spiritual terrorist and all of his demonic cohorts are successfully eliminating God-called evangelists from the evangelical landscape."

Okay...if Hale is going to point out how much the evangelists suffer by being away from family...let's examine the martyrdom of these men. My experience when these men come to a local church is that they ask for a certain amount of money...and it's not traveling expenses we're talking about. That is extra. Oh yeah, they make demands as to which hotel they will stay at too. And are these evangelist going to the lost? No, they are coming to a church, where they want YOU to bring the lost in. But hold on, I guess in coming to churches they really are coming to the lost nowadays, since the idea taking hold among evangelicals is that church is for the lost. Forget about the fact that in the NT the Christians met to have fellowship, break bread, and be taught! Apparently the early Christians didn't realize the house church was for the lost!


"Our churches have never been in such dire need of a strong prophetic word from a fearless man of God who will address the issues of carnality and lukewarmness with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The need for the hour is for all of us who name the name of Jesus to be called to prayer with expressions of repentance."

Yeah...I call them the teaching elders of our churches, don't you? At least that is they way it should be.

But Hale is right about one thing...these men are rare. And when they show up, we accuse them of being too legalistic. What? He wants us to read our Bibles? To apply it to our lives? Get rid of him!

Well, I know I have been a bit harsh here. But realize that what he has written is representative of what is wrong in the SBC. If he'd written this article on his website (find it, I'm not linking it here!) I would not care, but it being published by the Baptist Press indicates that the leadership in the SBC agrees with it! And there are too many people I love within SBC churches...some of whom read this blog. I cannot remain silent.

God bless.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is late at night and another Thanksgiving is almost over. Before I head to bed and close out this day, however, I want to say that today was a particularly special day for me. First of all, I felt so very thankful to God for giving me the wonderful family that I have. My wife and I have been married 17 years and she remains my best friend in all the world. Our marriage is strong and while we have had our share of problems (like all couples), it is clear to me that my wife loves me and I hope and pray she always knows I love her also.

I also have four wonderful sons who bring great joy to my life. The oldest also brings plenty of near heart attacks (he's learning to drive!), but I will forgive him for this since he is otherwise such a good kid. All of my sons, in fact, are good kids and I am confident that they will be servants of the Lord all the days of their lives.

Another particular blessing this year is the presence of my dear sister in law in our home. She is living with us now and I hope that she chooses to stay with us until the day some lucky man steals her away from us. Her presence with us has been so thoroughly enjoyable and I am so happy that far more than being my sister in law, she is my sister in the Lord.

All of us had a good meal today, and we played a couple of games, watched a movie, and just enjoyed the company of one another. What a perfect day!

Thank the Lord for the gift of salvation
Thank the Lord for His sovereignty in all things
Thank the Lord for the work of the Spirit in our lives

The following is what we read before the meal:

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.
- Psalm 100

Pyromaniac Dan Phillips Issues THE challenge! :-)

There is a really fun post over on the Pyromaniacs blog, and the discussion itself is fun to follow! And when I say fun I really mean it. It's gonna make you wish you'd thought of it! Now go over there and read it!

Dr. Albert Mohler on President-elect Obama

All day I have had different thoughts about what I wanted to say regarding the results of this election and I'd planned on posting on it tonight. I am still doing so, of course, but I took a moment to head over to Dr. Mohler's blog and read his post for today. All I can say is wow. Dr. Mohler is truly a man of God and he has said what was on my mind way much clearer than I could ever hope to do so.

There is one thing I would like to say which he wrote about also, but all day one of the thoughts going through my head has been that despite my wishing he had not won, it is truly amazing to consider that America will have a Black President in January. This is a truly historic event that I honestly did not think I would ever live to witness. And it is definitely true that his election lends credence to the American belief that anyone can be President. For this I am grateful. And as Dr. Mohler states, I will give Obama the allegiance and respect he deserves as my President while opposing any and all measures that I am Biblically commanded to do so. We truly can do no less.

At any rate, I completely stand behind every one of Dr. Mohler's words and I hope that my dear friends and family will read his post, which you can find here.

Finally, I want us to remember that God is always in control. There are some I know who despair over the results of this election. I say why? God has not been cast out of heaven has He? So I leave you, my brethren, with this little gem from Psalm 2 that I love to read over and over. It reminds me always of the fact that God is always the Sovereign...no matter what men may think!

"Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.”

-Psalm 2:1-6

A New Beginning

I have decided to write this evening on something I've never written before...mainly because the entire focus of my blog has been to share some of my studies and also opinions on various issues...from a theological perspective.

Tonight, however, I am going to share with you about a much more personal issue, even challenge. Now what I am going to share is nothing my dear readers don't already know (I am assuming here that my regular readers are my friends and family), but it is time I just laid it all on the table and just open up. Ready? Okay, here goes:

I am in the process of reading a book on losing weight and it sort of inspired me to become more dedicated. As you are aware, I am a big guy...and I know, you are thinking to yourselves, "but "enoch_elijah", you are the manliest of men and your muscular physique is the envy of all men!" Or something like that. But the reality of the situation is that while I concede that I am indeed quite masculine, my physique can better be described as...uhmmm...let's see...squishy. I have struggled with my weight ever since I was in my mid teens and I am now in my mid thirties! So, my goodness, enough is enough! And yes, I know that if I manage to lose the weight I'd like to lose, that my wife may be devastated because there will be less of me to love, but she'll just have to realize that we must settle for quality over quantity!

So what am I going to do? Well, for one thing, the book talks about food addiction and I must admit that what it had to say struck a nerve. And to be honest, I don't even know if this will work, but what's the worst that could happen? I mean, aside from suffering extreme humiliation as all of you mock me in a few months when I've not only failed to lose, but actually gained more weight! Let's try to avoid that ok? Back to the book though...it mentions in there keeping a record of everything you eat and what time you did so. This way you can see when you are eating and how much. Identifying the problem is the first step right? We'll see. So that's what I'm going to do. My modest goal is to lose 15 lbs. by my 36th birdthday, only a couple of months away. 7 1/2 lbs. a month...I think it's attainable! So pray for me, that the Lord will provide the willpower necessary to bring about a change in my eating habits. I'm even going to stop eating the sunflower seeds I am eating as I type! And by that I mean I'm going to stop right now, not that I'm giving them up forever. After all, I'm not a fanatic!

So what do I hope to weigh by my birthday? How about 267? Yes, I weigh 282 right now. Don't judge. ;-)

Yes, that is me in the picture...when I was 14! You must admit, despite the weight I have managed to retain the roguish good looks through the years!

Selected Scriptures- Bible Study

As promised, I am posting here the lesson I presented to the young men who came to participate in Saturday's sword tag. I hope you enjoy!

NOBODY IS BEYOND THE REACH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

ACTS 6:8-15
ACTS 7:51-60 & 8:1A
ACTS 9:1-22

I. Prayer
2. Study

Ask) Can someone name some pretty terrible person…someone who has done terrible things, either in history or in our present times.

Ask) How would you feel if you were before such a person?

Today we are going to look at the experience of Stephen, we will look at the manner of his death…but our focus will not necessarily be Stephen. Before I give too much more away, let us begin.

Read Acts 6:8-15

Ask) What kind of man was Stephen?

Discuss

Throughout most of chapter 7 we will see Stephen bravely confront the Jewish council, declaring to them the Truth and holding them accountable for rejecting Jesus! [here we see the truth of human responsibility clearly taught.]

Ask) How do you think the council will respond?

Read Acts 7:51-60

As) Why do you think the council reacts against the message of Stephen this way?

Read 1 Peter 2:7-8

The world does not want to hear the Truth! But we are not called to spread the Word only to those we think will respond lovingly to us…no, far from it. We spread the Gospel to all men. THAT is the only thing we are called to do. We are not to concern ourselves with how they will respond! Indeed, we read in 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 that it is God who gives the increase!

And in this passage we learn something else…we are ultimately of no account in the actual salvation of men. But God has chosen to use us to bring in the lost sheep, so we are faithful to the calling. And we never know how someone will respond do we?

Will we be received with kindness and enthusiasm?
Will we be mocked and scorned?
And as rare as it may be in this country…will we be killed for the sake of His Truth?

And why are we faithful even unto death?

We DON’T know who will respond!!!!!!

Indeed, let us look here again at the text:

Read Acts 7:58 and 8:1A

Ask) Do you know who this Saul is?

Discuss

Now…

Read Acts 9:1-22

Did you catch verse 22?

This Saul is now proving to others that Jesus is Christ!! The very same one that consented to the death of Believer is now himself preaching the TRUTH!!!

Ask) Do you think Stephen knew this would happen?

Of course not…all he knew was that he faced a hostile crowd, and he probably guessed what his ultimate fate would be, but he did not hesitate. And his words did not contribute towards the weakening of Saul’s opposition to the Truth. It took the supernatural act of God to bring Saul into the fold. It always does…it may not always be as spectacularly as with Saul, but it is ALWAYS a supernatural act when men come to faith.

Little brothers, we don’t know, and we cannot know, who will be saved and who will enter into eternal damnation.

But we do know that not one man is beyond the reach of the Holy Spirit. And God, in His infinite wisdom, has chosen to use men to accomplish His work of salvation. Therefore, go out and boldly proclaim the Gospel. Who knows whether your words might be used by God to bring someone to salvation.

Ask) What do I hope you will take away from this lesson?

Two things:
1) Nobody is beyond the reach of the Holy Spirit
2) Proclaim the Truth boldly for the sake of the lost and, more importantly, for the love of God

Teaching Young Men

Today we had the sword-tag group out and it was lots of fun...and even a bit humiliating to realize that at the age of 35 I am having trouble keeping up keeping up with the young teens. ;-)

We had a total of 7 kids today (ranging from 13-16) and spent two hours fighting mighty battles. About halfway through we stopped for our Bible lesson and I taught through the book of Acts, specifically chapters 6-9. I will have to wait until tomorrow evening to post the lesson because I am having problems connecting to the internet on my computer (I am posting these comments on my sister in law's laptop). We had a great time, even with me as the only adult male! A good friend of mine will soon have the weekends open, and when he's able to attend I have promised (threatened?) the teens with some adult vengeance for the sheer humiliation they dealt me today!

Well, I just want to say to my dear friends and family...Happy Reformation Day! It has now been 491 years since that faithful day on which good 'ol Martin Luther went and thought he'd start a debate and instead started the Reformation! I hope I'm around in 2017 when we celebrate the 500th year! It should be fun...but I guess that even if I've gone on to be with my Lord I won't be complaining, right?

Go forth and gather with the saints tomorrow as we join to lift up the name of our King!