The Foray

Following Jesus into the World -- A Slice of Real Life

Last Sunday morning, I began a new series called, "Following Jesus into the World: Our Call to Mission." I presented the concrete image of following Jesus into the world -- not retreating from the world, passing judgment on the world, or compromising with the world, but following Jesus into the world by ...

1. becoming his cooperative friends, and
2. living in creative goodness
3. for the sake of others
4. through the power of the Holy Spirit

(I'll unpack each of these in the coming weeks; they're the categories suggested by Todd Hunter.)

Last Sunday night, we got an opportunity as a church to follow Jesus into the world by helping one of our own families AND also by helping the wider community. What did we do? At Project #1, we painted a member's house and, at Project #2, three score boxes at Middle Valley Recreation.

At the house painting project (of which I was a part along with 8 other guys), one of our members actually got an opportunity to share with a neighbor what we were doing and why. Without one word of prodding, this neighbor named "Jim" (who doesn't attend church anywhere) was impressed enough to volunteer, "Well, my wife and I will have to come and check you all out."

This reminds me of something somebody said recently: "People used to listen their way way into the Christian faith; now they tend to talk and watch their way in." I think he's onto something. Today more than ever, we need to be really good listeners and really good livers (i.e., people who live well what they claim to believe).

Outsiders have grown suspicious of Christian "talk." Given all our scandals and inconsistencies, can we really blame them? It's credible Christian "action" that they take notice of.

This encounter by our group member last Sunday night reminded me once again that if, with Jesus, we really want to reach the world, then we must follow him INTO it. If we will, exciting things will begin to happen all around us -- some of which will endure throughout eternity!

Greg

Seeing with New Eyes

Can you imagine the impact on the disciples' thinking of our Lord's "living object lesson," when he placed a small child in their midst and said to them, "Do as I do: Welcome the least, those who are looked down upon and ignored by the world" (Mark 9:36-37)?

Actually, the impact took time -- a long time! Because the disciples still kept scratching and clawing for the highest place! Even at the Last Supper, there they were: at it again (Luke 22:21-24)!

"Stuck on selfish" they were!

(By the way, if the Bible really was nothing but a collection of "made up" stories, do you think it would paint such embarrassing portraits of its "heroes"? Don't you think that those fabricating the stories would cast themselves in a slightly more noble light?)

If seeing the world with new eyes was this much of a challenge for the Twelve, what do you think it is for us? How far removed are we from the way Jesus saw the world: from here to Nashville? From here to Nevada? Or from here to Nigeria?  

At the end of my sermon yesterday morning, I asked the church to unite in asking God for a whole new way of seeing. "Would you seek him for the next 7 days and see what happens?"

I hope you'll join with me this week in seeking the Lord for "new eyes." It's our only hope of transforming the world, instead of conforming to the world.

Greg

"The Philippians File Reopened" -- Starting This Sunday Night

I'm pleased to announce a new series of studies for Sunday evenings at MVB entitled, "The Philippians File Reopened." I want this to be an interactive study (as opposed to a lecture), in which we seek to help each other understand both the ancient text and its contemporary message.

This Sunday night, I'll begin by distributing a "Philippians Fact Sheet" to everyone in attendance. We'll use it to take a thoughtful look at ancient Philippi, how the gospel first arrived there, and what it has to tell us about reaching modern Chattanooga with the message of Christ.

"Please, Lord, bring good to your church through our time with your word, and bring your people out to hear."

As always, Sunday evenings for adult studies gets underway at 6pm and last approximately one hour. (By the way, we sing, pray, and give too.) Hope to see you!

Greg

For Those Who Can't Figure Out Why ...

In yesterday's post, I made a cryptic reference to "guessing" why I was studying Colossians. The reason is that I'm starting a new sermon series this Sunday morning called:

"Growing Faith: The Colossians Project"

For some reason, I've had the message of Colossians on my mind for sometime. I don't know exactly what the Lord is going to do with this series, but I believe that there's a reason it's been on my heart.

This much I do know: Colossians has some powerful stuff to say to MVB!

If you're "in a rut" and tired of the "same old, same old" -- if you genuinely want to grow spiritually, then I invite you to make this series a dedicated part of your week. Let's find out together what God will do!

Greg

"Shout for Joy, O You Righteous! Praise Befits the Upright."

So says the first verse of Ps 33!

• "Shout" = an indicator of strong emotion; in this case, of strong praise 
• "Joy" = on account of who God is and what he has done (see v.4f)
• "Righteous" = those who are right with God in heart and upright before him in life; in other words, those who are trusting in the Lord
• "Praise" = loud, heartfelt thanks
• "Befits" = is fitting for; is appropriate for; "fits to a T"
• "Upright" = those who are righteous (see above)

This Sunday, let the righteous bring their praise to our mighty God and not hold back because he has won great victories on our behalf -- the greatest being our Savior's victory over sin and death!

"Up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph o'er his foes!"

Praise the Lord!

Greg  

Because "You Can't Say Everything All at Once"

-- that's what my Old Testament professor, Richard Pratt, used to tell us.

And it's the reason for this post!

You see, in preaching, there are always things you have to leave un-said. (By the way, you should be glad I understand this! Some preachers apparantly don't, thus their 60-minute sermons -- and longer!)

In today's sermon, I addressed the reason we sing "new songs" in worship. Not only because Scriptures like Ps 33:3 command it (which is REASON ENOUGH!), but also because every day is a fresh experience of the Lord's sovereign goodness in our lives; every morning, his mercies are new (Lam 3:23). And the experience of new mercies call for new songs to praise those mercies!

So the 33rd Psalm says, "Sing to the Lord a new song!"

What I left "un-said," however, is that singing old songs is also important -- old songs like the ones I mentioned by Fanny Crosby: "Blessed Assurance" (1873) and "He Hideth My Soul" (1890). When it comes to God's people and the songs we sing in worship, it's not a matter of "either/or" but of "both/and." Truth be told, I dearly love the old songs, but I refuse to sing them to the exclusion of new songs, lest I turn a blind eye to the wonderful things God is doing today! At the same time, I dearly love our new songs, but I refuse to sing them to the exclusion of old songs, lest I turn a blind eye to the wonderful things God has done in the past!

So, in line with Scripture (the final authority), you will find the people of Middle Valley Baptist singing old and new, new and old, when we gather together.

Perhaps it's as Jesus told the disciples, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." Mt 13:52

Today's text happened to emphsize the new, hence today's emphasis.

Just remember: "You can't say everything all at once."

Greg 

Announcing My Newest Sermon Series for Sunday Mornings

Good afternoon, my loyal readers!

I want you to be the first to know that, this Sunday morning, I'll begin a new series of messages from Psalm 33. It's called, "Why Praise Is Right: The Call to Lively Worship."

This series has been on my heart all summer. It is the truth from God's word that, I believe, God wants Middle Valley Baptist to hear, as we finally make our move to our new worship space (AKA, the Commons). One reason -- change that, THE reason (frankly) -- this has been on my heart all summer is because of the construction delays we've experienced. I've kept waiting and waiting to try and time it so that this truth will be fresh on our minds as we make our move. One good thing about the delays is that I've certainly had time to change my mind and go to a different subject, but the Lord seems to have kept me right here on Psalm 33.

So I go into this final sermon series in our current setting with a high degree of confidence that this is precisely what God wants his much loved church at Middle Valley Baptist to hear.

The goal of this series is simple: to help us move to the Commons with a new spirit of openness, life, vigor, energy, and joy in our gathered worship, owing to the good news of Christ's victory over sin and death -- a victory that he's winning NOW and will return to this earth to COMPLETE! I will also seek to show the value of such worship when it comes to influencing unbelievers for Christ.

Please help me pray that we will ALL bring good attitudes and open hearts to what God wants to say. I've observed over the years that the attitudes Christians bring to church are extremely important. If we're open to truth, we'll grow; if we're closed, we won't. Pray that everyone will give what is said a "fair shake," and that, having done so, we'll gladly go where Scripture leads.

Our joy, and that of others, depends on it!

Greg

The Imperative of Love

Today we concluded our series, "A Crossing of Our Own: Imperatives for an Advancing Church from 1 and 2 Corinthians," by asking the question, "What drives you?" For the Apostle Paul, it was "the love of Christ," i.e., the love that Christ had for Paul. (For you Greek fans, "the love of Christ" in 2 Cor 5:14 is a subjective, not an objective, genitive.)

It was Christ's love for Paul that drove Paul's life and that, simultaneously, fueled his own love for others. Because he was deeply loved by the Lord Jesus, Paul could deeply love others (just HOW deeply, you can hear in Rom 9:1-5 and 10:1).

I've heard people say of the King James Version, "If it was good enough for Paul, it's good enough for me!" Well, I say this of LOVE -- that we should let love drive us as Paul let it drive him, to the point that people who encounter MVB go away exclaiming, "Wow! Do they know how to love!!!"

Bear in mind John Stott's answer to the question, "Why don't non-Christians pay attention to Christians and their churches? Why don't they listen?" Quoting Stott:

"The local church cannot evangelize, proclaiming the gospel of love, if it is not itself a community of love."

Truly being a "community of love" is the great challenge, isn't it? We all know that loving one another is hard to do sometimes; if it wasn't, all of us would! But hard or not, it's our calling as those who follow Jesus Christ. Said our Lord, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

So it makes sense that Paul would tell the Corinthians, "Pursue love" (1 Cor 14:1) -- that is, "Go after it with everything you've got! Strive to make it yours! Do whatever you must to help it grow in your heart and life! See it as the richest and best endowment of the Holy Spirit, and do your absolute, 100% best to spread its happy influence to everyone you meet."

(Look back to my previous post to see how 1 Cor 14:1 should play out in contemporary life.)

Roger Ellsworth asks a legitimate closing question:

"Above all, are we clear about the need for love? Do we understand it is the supreme grace and apart from it we are nothing?"

For an "advancing church" like ours, may LOVE be the supreme imperative that drives us!

Greg

This Sunday (Apr 27, 2008) at MVBC

This Sunday we conclude "A Crossing of Our Own: Imperatives for an Advancing Church from 1 and 2 Corinthians." Hard to believe this is it (although some may have thought it would never end)!

The last imperative we'll discuss is LOVE. I saved the most challenging and essential for last.

In fact, I was reminded just today of how "challenging" and "essential" love really is!

As I was working on my sermon this afternoon, I got a phone call from one of my uncles back in New Market. I was surprised, as calls from him have come only a handful of times in my life. (He's a very busy businessman in Knoxville.)

"I need your advice on something," he began. He then explained, as an elder in his church, a thorny problem he was experiencing with a fellow church member who had latched onto a certain biblical doctrine so tenaciously (to the exclusion of other doctrines) that he had actually made it downright unbiblical. "Our elders met with him, listened to him, and then shared our counsel, but he dismissed it entirely. Now he's going around to various members in the church and airing 'his side' of what we said and confusing a lot of people."

Hhhh ... (or however you spell the sound of sighing).

Our conversation went on for a good 30 minutes, so I can't explain here what I said. But let me just say this:

If allegiance to doctrine ever leads you to behave like this man, then you can "take it to the bank" that -- somewhere, some way -- you've really, really, REALLY messed up!

Come hear what Paul tells the Corinthians about love this Sunday morning, and you'll see what I mean!

The "imperative of love" will not only spare MVB this kind of trouble and heartache, but will also spare uncles from ever having to place such calls to their nephews.

Greg

The Imperative of Determination

Thanks to everyone for listening to today's sermon on the imperative of godly "determination." Someone commented afterward that it was "neat hearing how far we've come" since "All for the Call" began back in January '06.

And you know what? It IS "neat"!

Remember the four parts of "All for the Call"?

1. The creation of a multi-purpose facility for worship and ministry
2. An enhanced student ministry
3. Improved and expanded parking
4. The purchase of additional property for future ministry

Well, look where we are today ...

1. Putting on the finishing touches!
2. Ditto!
3. Done, with some more parking in the back to be added!
4. Done (15 1/2 more acres, bringing our campus to 21+ acres)!

Can I get a "Praise the Lord"?

Now all that's left is to carry these things through to completion. How? In the same way we got here -- by God's sheer grace and power, while we continue to work hard in fulfilling our responsibilities and commitments.

Yeah, I know it's not very glamorous. But it is effective. And biblical!

Resolute resolve, firmness of purpose ... DETERMINATION -- "Victory or Death" style; "Use the bayonet!" style; "1 Cor 15:58" style. That's what Middle Valley Baptist needs!

Is it in you?

Greg