Tuesday, February 26, 2019

"The Culture of Death Lurches Forward..."

The Senate failed to pass a bill that would protect babies born alive after botched abortion attempts. I encourage you to listen to Al Mohler's podcast "the Briefing"  from today (2/26/19). Listen to the section entitled, "The culture of death lurches forward: Senate fails to pass legislation that would protect the lives of children born alive."

He brings up some very good points. I'll summarize one here. Some Democrats argued that the law was unnecessary because, "Its proponents claim it would make something illegal that is already illegal” (Senator Patty Murray, see the Washington Post Article). If that is the case, then why does it matter if the law passes? If we all agree it is wrong to kill a baby who is born alive (infanticide), then what does one more law matter? The truth is that these senators do believe this law is an addition. The evidence is in the rest of Senator Murray's words. After what I quoted above, she goes on to say that the law would "do nothing except help Republicans advance their goal of denying women their constitutionally protected rights.” So which is it? Is it just a redundant law? Or is it something which might limit the right of a woman to end the life of her baby? In a day and age when a governor (of Virginia) publically states that a baby born alive would be made comfortable while the mother and doctor discuss if she wants her baby to receive life-sustaining medical care, laws like this don't seem too redundant.



Tuesday, February 19, 2019

"The Struggle for Love" Sermon

I taught the "Genesis" Sunday school class this past Sunday. I was talking about it with Beth and she mentioned a good sermon by Tim Keller on the passage which I listened to and benefited from. I referenced it in my handout, but here is a link to it in case you weren't there and want to listen to it.

It deals with Jacob and his messed up relationships. Keller provides keen insight into the desires of the human heart from the Scripture. I hope you'll cue this one up on your list of things to listen to this week.

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Also, I am not sure how you get your podcast or organize what you will listen to, but I have benefited from pocketcast. I got the paid version and can speed up things (which is nice...though you can't speed Keller up too much).

Also part 2, Grace Church has a podcast where we (Larry does it so thank him) post our sermon and some Sunday school media in case you miss a week and want to catch up.  Just search Grace Church of Tallahassee to find it.

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Responsibilities of a Church Member: Relate Properly to Your Pastors

This might seem a bit self-serving. A pastor writing to say that members in the church out to relate properly to their pastors. So, is it self-serving? 

It is for Your Advantage

Hebrews 13:7 says,
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
The idea is that there is an advantage to rightly relating to your pastors. Even more specifically, to obeying and submitting to them. If your following them is characterized by godly submission, it will bring them joy rather than frustration and be an advantage to your soul. Pastors that don't have to spend excessive time dealing with unruly sheep can better shepherd the flock so that they thrive rather than merely survive. If all the pastor's work is remedial, it is impossible to build up the body and help you make progress in your knowledge and obedience to God. 

What Does it Mean to Obey and Submit?

To submit is to voluntarily place yourself under their authority and leadership. To be clear, the pastor's authority is the Word of God. So your submission to your pastor is governed by your submission to God. No human authority, which has delegated authority, ever supersedes God's authority in a person's life. So, if you pastor says to lie about something, you say, "You know I can't love you and God if I do that. I must obey God." 

Obeying your pastors doesn't mean
  1. You can't ask questions
  2. You follow them into sin
  3. They have authority over you in areas in which the Bible gives no doctrine or practice to observe. 
Let me give an example of the last point. You do not need to paint your house a specific color because your pastor says you should. Rod might say, "I like salmon for that front door, so paint it that color." You could, and should(?), rightly say, "Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm going to paint it white."  Now, if you decided to spray paint derogatory words towards your neighbor on the side of your house, your pastor rightly has the authority to tell you that Scripture requires you to remove them (of course there would be a further dialogue about what is going on in your heart and how to repent). 

The Goodness of Authority 
In a world that seems to have no concept of good authority, notions of authority and submission are quickly dismissed as power grabs and domination. However, in practice, we all know that authority exercised for the good of others is a great blessing. For example, children receiving the instruction and discipline of a godly parent keeps them from dying young and forms the training grounds which will enable them to grow into mature adulthood rather than out-of-control, self-destructive animals. 

God has designed it so that almost every person will be in positions of both authority and submission. We ought to exercise our authority with humility and the fear of God, knowing we must give an account to him. And we ought to submit to proper authorities with humility and trust in God knowing that we and those in authority will have to answer to God. 

When Authority is Abused

Sadly, in a fallen world authority does get abused. Jesus warned his followers not to be like the ungodly who often exercised power for their own gain (Mark 10:42-43). In addition, the elder qualifications prohibit a man from serving as an elder if he is "arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain," etc. (see Titus 1). 

We are given instructions for how to handle a pastor who is abusing his authority. Matthew 18 outlines church discipline and 1 Timothy 5:20 says that if an elder persists in sin, he should be rebuked in the presence of the church. 

A Church Member Submits to His or Her Pastors

So, as a church member, you are voluntarily placing yourself under a specific set of pastors. You can disagree at times and ask questions. But, be sure to submit to them. They must give an account to God for the state of your soul. Don't resist their leadership when they are godly men who are seeking your spiritual wellbeing and God's glory. If necessary, confront them in biblical ways.