Third Avenue Baptist Church

A Patristics Kind of Gal (coming soon)

2008-10-24T04:46:33Z

Well, due to complications Ty is now going to teach the Patristic model of spiritual femininity on Nov 9th. The next two weeks will be Ben Bartlett looking at the theology and spirituality of St Augustine. He will be overviewing Augustine’s On Christian Teaching this week and the Confessions next week. Both are Christian classics. If you have the time, please read the Confessions before the class. You will not regret it.

I think Ty might still sing “G’me a patristics gal” as an introduction so dont be late!

“Where its goin down”

2008-10-20T15:02:18Z

Last night was full of noteworthy quotes. The one in my title from new member Jason Arnold needs to be implemented by our PR committee.

I wanted to compliment Riley Byers, aka Scooter, aka Rilo, aka Gloves, aka Texas Toast, aka Big Mac, on his devotion last night. This means I want to publicly tell him how good it was and give a few side notes. First, I appreciated how he modeled a great balance between passion, personal conviction, and contemplation. Second, he had very practical ways we can love each other in the church. The moral of the story was “BE PROACTIVE.” Toby Mac has rightfully said, “love is a verb.” I am not sure what inactive love would look like, but it seems like our sinful natures desire to passively receive it or only exercise it when it is convenient. If Christ is a model of how we are to love by laying down his life, well…that says enough.

Third, Riley challenged folk to stick around after graduation and have dreams for the church. This was excellent and I whole-heartedly stand behind it. I do have another strategy that one could adopt though. You can simply take longer to finish school and free yourself up to be more involved in ministry now. Too many students, and I was the worst, take too many classes while working full-time and trying to care for families. I flew through the MDiv and missed out on some great opportunities for friendships and ministries at 3abc. It was only at the end of the MDiv and as I have stuck around longer that I have truly put the time in to be blessed by the church. So, as students are preparing to register for classes while looking at their 3 year plan, be in prayer about taking one class off for four semesters and taking an additional semester. If you are wondering what you might do with all your free time, just ask an elder.

Sin And Its Consequences

2008-10-09T20:48:13Z

When one is confronted with sin in their lives they have to make a choice between two consequences–those of repentance and the sin itself. Sin has consequences that often times are not immediately obvious to the sinner. These consequences include broken relationships with friends, family, church, and most of all God. I say they are not immediately obvious because we as sinners we are quite good at deceiving ourselves into thinking things are not that bad and simply avoid the real issues. The dilemma when wrestling with sin is God begins to feel distant from our perspective. Its easier to assume God is fine where he is things will work out with time, but we can never imagine the great gulf that has been crossed for us by Christ nor do we have the capacity to understand how our sin effects our present relationship with God.

The consequences of repentance often times seem more troublesome because if we truly set aside our old hardness, deception, and wickedness we are going to have to fess up and this makes us look bad and forces us into a seemingly awkward conversation. If God feels distant when we are living in sin, our friends feel way too close and stirring our kool-aid too much. The consequences of repentance have faces–friends, family, church members–that we have to look into and ask for forgiveness.

The beauty of choosing the consequences of repentance is an opportunity for the gospel to have a face in another brother/sister. Even more, it brings you back into a proper relationship with God. Confessing believers who choose to avoid the consequences of repentance over the consequences of sin have not truly realized the great power of sin, death, and destruction. I say confessing believers because anyone who has truly grasped, nay been gripped by the cross, understands the the power of sin and the joy of forgiveness. The fact is we must choose a set of consequences!

Will the real generous orthodox please stand up (pt2)

2008-09-25T19:04:26Z

As I have thought about my earlier post and discussed it with my brilliant wife, I realize that I need to give one more clarification as to how JC’s method differs from the other GO. Calvin’s theology has its primary goal toward being generous to God. This means he is seeking not to offend God, protect God’s holiness, set God apart from anything creaturely, defend God’s honor, and give him true worship. To give an over generalization, much theology today seems to have its primary goal in being generous to man. This means not offending others, bringing God down to everyone’s level, and magnifying our ability to comprehend him. The desire not to offend man is most commonly found in author’s not willing to admit they don’t have an answer. We do not like to offend ourselves by saying we cant figure something out. The goal of theology is to know God and live according to his precepts by his grace. I fear too often the goal of theology is to explain the difficulties of God away and not hold the tension presented in the gospel. When we walk and think by faith, we accept what God declares and this will often times mean we have to hold together two truths revealed in Scripture without having a great amount of clarity as to how they are reconciled together. JI Packer models this well in his work, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. One that I have always had trouble with is the fact that I am called to pray, God knows what I am going to ask for before I ask, and he knows all things from an eternal perspective. There are three truths that I have to believe and obey without overemphasizing one in order to explain the mind and wisdom of God.

Will the real generous orthodoxy please stand up?

2008-09-25T15:15:32Z

“What I have learned to grasp from Scripture, I speak with certainty. Since I do not reach for such a high altitude, I reverently adore with humility and trepidation that which is too sublime for even angels. Therefore, I often admonish in my writings that nothing is greater than a wise ignorance. For those who entrust themselves to know more than they should rave like madmen.”

The quote above is from John Calvin’s Secret Providence of God. I had to hold back the tears as I read it because it is so seldom that I read someone truly articulating what faith seeking understanding actually means.

Notice Scripture speaks for itself and there is a full recognition that some things revealed in Scripture are beyond our comprehension. JC keeps going back to Paul’s remarks when writing about God’s sovereignty, “Oh the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Rom 11:33) If the Apostle who was called up into the third heaven cannot even begin to understand much less use words to describe the great wisdom and majesty of God, how can we? The air in most theology today reeks of trying to explain God in whole and reduce his nature, wisdom, and ways to be too much like ours. There is no bold humility that says I cannot know this or that or God is truly beyond me. When this humility is lost, you also lose orthodoxy because God will all the sudden be much too human. Some theologians are no longer obeying the boundaries of Orthodoxy when it comes to God. They rush in and try to explain the infinite Triune God with finite words and minds. This is the raving madness JC refers to.

The irony in all this is we can be much more bold once we realize our limitations and how much greater God is than man. We can accept there are things we will not know until Christ comes back and even then, our limited hearts, minds, and souls will only be filled to the brim with awe and wonder. How we worship in church today should be looking forward to that and yearning for it. Mysteries are largely avoided in worship today because we typically don’t like to talk about anything we can explain in full. Scripture calls us to swim in the deeps that we cannot reach and only here will true worship take place.

Notice also that JC calls for a wise ignorance. Someone please email our church if you have ever heard this advocated. This is different from ignorant wisdom which tries to seek the best life without being informed. Wise ignorance is having the right perception of what is right for us to believe and obey, and to know where we simply cannot go. We are not to follow the motto of the scientific age that says boldly go where no man has gone before.

Contemporary gobbledy-gook has taken us too far in denying certain clear truths in Scripture because they do not sit easy in our culture. This is where I fault the other generous orthodoxy for not having enough wisdom to know what to boldly confess from Scripture. Homosexuality, hell, adultery, divorce, one salvation in Christ alone are examples of pulpiteers punting where Scripture says its 4th and 1 and we have a fullback better than Tom Rathman who can get the yards. Or for those who do not speak football, declare what Scripture declares and trust the Spirit to bless your Words rather than trusting your own wisdom to explain or redefine what Scripture says. Its not easy to confess these things, but its what Scripture commands and the Spirit blesses.

Discipleship at 3abc

2008-09-23T01:39:16Z

All Christians are called to be watchful for other church members and to be watched over by other church members. We call this disicpleship. What that actually looks like from relationship to relationship can be quite different. Some folk want to talk about their lives with others, some want to discuss the latest theological trends, and lets face it, some people want to talk about other people (not discipleship). An issue we have at our little church is that there are not that many seasoned folk. Most of us are close in age (the difference is typically no more than 10 years) and are in the same stage of life. Ideally, the talking about your life scenario would have someone who is beyond a certain point of life who can reflect upon it and give advice to the young buck right in the middle of it. Likewise, the young buck would encourage the older with zeal and enthusiasm. It would be a win-win-win.

I think what our church needs is to be willing to wrestle through stages of life with one another so that failing with one another is acceptable and forgiving one another is a routine part of our life. The point being that often times we need the accountability of others to fulfill the commands of Christ and there is no better way than to do them together. I can look back and see how many different Christians modeled either love, boldness, zeal, or something else that I lacked and gave me the courage and strength to obey Christ because I saw them do it. Our long lost brother Aaron Menikoff (see Atlanta’s Who’s Who) was a great model for me over the past few years. I thought about him in a particular situation Ifound myself in recently. We had a single person visiting our church and he/she wanted to join but was concerned about how few singles their were in our church. I asked myself, what would Aaron do in this situation. I actually sat this person down and explained to him/her that we needed the singles to be brave enough to join so others would have someone to join with. I would have never done that 2 years ago, and many are saying I shouldn’t have done it then.

Aaron and I never met in any official capacity and had no organized structure for our discipleship. It was, however, the a very influential relationship for me because we simply lived life together and I got to watch him do things I lacked the courage to do. So what am I saying? Aaron, you complete me.

Our lives are busy and the idea of sitting down to coffee weekly with a Joe or June in light of all our other commitments seems too difficult. Therefore, I propose we think about discipleship as more informal which will require being more transparent and actively doing something for the kingdom together. This would be inviting others to be in your home with you while you go through your routine, inviting to go run errands with you, and most of all, asking others to come with you when you are going to go share the gospel or care for another brother or sister. The latter is where I want to give a strong challenge to our members. Fulfill the great commission together. I believe this will prove to be the most blessed discipleship relationship you could have.

College 101

2008-09-13T03:43:06Z

Below is a post from Justin Taylor’s blog. He sums up and links to another blog some helpful advice for college students. If you read the comments, you will see most added buy a mac and join a church. One of these additions will boost your hipness potential, the other your faithfulness:

John Mark Reynolds has a helpful column here offering 10 tips for college students getting ready for Fall.

What follows is the barebones outline, but if the topic is of interest, you’ll want to read the whole thing.

1. Ignore advice to “remake” yourself the first day you get to college.

2. Do something each week that puts you in contact with people older and younger than your peer group.

3. If you have a decent relationship with your parents keep it up.

4. If you are going to college, then go. You are in college to learn. In America, education often includes getting a job skill, but should also be about becoming a good, civilized citizen.

5. Find a faculty mentor during your first year.

6. Take classes that are hard from full-time professors that love to teach.

7. Secretaries and support staff are overworked, underpaid, and very powerful. You should be good to them out of virtue, but you must do it to thrive. The friendship you make with the department secretary now will pay dividends over the years. (One way I judge the character of a student is by how they treat the support staff.)8. Books are not yet antiques. Go to the library. Talk to librarians. They are faculty members that are often under-utilized.

9. Don’t be too quick to pick a major, but try to do so by the end of the first year.10. Live like an adult in college which includes moderating your passions.

My reflections on KB

2008-09-12T14:21:50Z

Well, I was hoping for someone else to bite the line, but… I think the gal has said a lot of helpful things. Let me walk through some strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths: Barth is right that we should be gracious to college students. We need to realize that we have at some point let down others and not kept our responsibilities. I know I was very bad at this in my adolescence (I am all grown up now?). I like that there is a fair warning about trying to make others like us as we spend time with them. This must be avoided no matter the age group.

Weaknesses: Barth does not give college students enough credit or responsibility to live as young adults. The college years are important for development and I hope Christians would make themselves available for questions, problems, etc. The church should seek to challenge college students in their faith. College ministry should not seek to entertain so good numbers show up. A church should preach straight-forward hard truths from Scripture challenging students to grow in their faith. Barth talks about expecting to bore them, okay. What I think we should do is get to know them and raise the bar of expectations for them. This of course is done with the gospel at the center of every conversation and challenge.

All Christians should commit themselves to a church covenant that calls for right living in a community of other Christians that will keep you accountable. This invites others into our lives to help us live in a manner worthy of the gospel.

All Christians need to be discipled and held accountable in order to help them not live within their own lies and self-created world. This is what we believe sin does to the heart. It causes us to lie to ourselves so that we think we are okay no matter what the situation is. We think the problem is usually someone else’s, but this is rarely the case. Sinners need to be cared for in such a way that the gospel is present in our lives and our self-deception is corrected. While college students are maturing and starting to become who they will be for the rest of their lives, they need to be confronted, exhorted, encouraged, and cared for with God’s Word so that they can begin exercising and growing in Christlikeness. With Barth’s warnings, this seems out of bounds. High expectations is necessary for all Christians and the gospel must always be part of the conversation so that forgiveness is ready at hand and the true aim is always present. Otherwise high expectations lead to moralism and self-righteousness.

Bottom line is we all need correction from others using God’s Word, college students not only fit into “all” but their time in life is important because they are being molded into who they will be as husbands, wives, parents, and most importantly disciples and evangelists of Christ.

Sex, pornography, marriage and the gospel

2008-09-08T20:11:45Z

“A lot of teenagers develop their sexuality with pornography, and then find that relational sex isn’t as satisfying, Weiss said. Porn gives them a “very strong chemical hit,” and alters ways of thinking about sex, somewhat like the classic “ring the bell, feed the dog” stimulus-response mechanism. Addicts thus learn to become sexually attached to objects, and have trouble getting the same kind of satisfaction from sex in a relationship, he [Mark Schwartz] said.”

Well, here we are at a very conservative Baptist church and there is a post on pornography and sexual addiction. Pornography is a real issue the church must address and God gave us sex. A preacher at my alma mater once declared, “sex is good!” However, it is only good when enjoyed within God’s boundaries. Isn’t that the case with everything? Think of these good things and their corresponding sins: food-gluttony; money-greed or theft; self image-pride and arrogance. Concerning sex, it can be a great gift from God, but I often feel as if the boundaries for it are lost in the world at large and even the church.

The quote above is from a CNN article on sexual addiction that is pointing out how many young folk are hindering and even ruining their chances at meaningful relationships in the future. I believe it was Karl Barth who said depravity is the only empirically verifiable doctrine (everyone can see evil exists). The world can see there is a problem with how people are approaching sexual activity, but it cannot ultimately understand the heart of the problem or the ultimate solution. Without understanding that God has created sex for a specific context–marriage–and that we have a bend in our hearts so that we take all of God’s good gifts and abuse them to a perverse end, the world will not be able to offer these sex addicts, or any other addict, any real relief. All the world can see is that it is dangerous, not how perverse this twist is. We were created to enjoy marriage and we as sinners give that up for a picture and a fantasy? The only worse exchange than this in history was giving up a right relationship with God for a lie that we can be our own God.

The gospel is the only thing that can heal, bring forgiveness to, and correct what all can see as dangerous behavior. The gospel is God revealing to man what God’s right order is and should be. It is God becoming man to die for our perversion of and rebellion against that right order. The gospel tells us that God sends his Spirit to empower us to repent and live within God’s right rule where life will truly be enjoyed.

If you are a yute (see My Cousin Vinny), please realize that your purity and innocence is a precious gift from God that once lost is never fully recovered. You can be forgiven, but you experiences are a part of who you are. Your sin has consequences. God’s order for you is to be patient and disciplined as you wait for God’s provision of a partner. If we were still in the Eden stage, you probably would not be expected to wait as long as our Western world prescribes. Don’t date Jesus, worship him as the God who saved you and trust he will send the one you should date, court, whatever.

If you are married, this is just as critical. The temptation does not get any easier, and the stakes are as high because you are with the person God has provided for you. You can ruin that relationship with where you let you eyes and mind go. Your satisfaction and enjoyment are at stake. Love your spouse purely as Christ loved the church.

A reply from a college grad gal

2008-09-05T17:53:39Z

Here is a response to the post below regarding this statement, “Do not be surprised or annoyed or upset if you necessarily find that they have no time, or little time, for you, that no matter how well-intentioned you may be toward them, or sure of your cause, you sometimes inconvenience and bore them, and they casually ignore you and your counsel.”

Well, no offense to the author, but I find this point a little belittling to college kids. :) It reminds me of youth ministers who think that youth are only capable of enjoying a Bible lesson if it has lights, fun, food and drama. I think I would have been offended to read this as a college student. (Although, being easily offended by things isn’t a high virtue…) I think college students are adult-age and should be treated as such, especially within the church. Does it mean we should go looking to bore them? Well, no, but we shouldn’t go looking to bore anyone. Christianity isn’t boring. If they aren’t seeking accountability or discipleship and have time for everything else but that, then something is wrong. Are they a Christian? Then this should be addressed for what it is. You can’t be surprised or annoyed. This could happen with Christians who are well out of college. People are people. Sinners are sinners.

So, I guess… if we are being boring. We need to start reading and living our Bibles more, right? If college kids are only wanting to be around college kids, then maybe we should teach more on what a Body of Christ looks like… diverse and with every part united under its head. Inconvenience them? I would imagine that a Christian college student would be thrilled if a passionate Christian pursued time with them, including them in family events and mentoring/training them up in righteousness and providing counsel based on God’s Word and life wisdom. If they aren’t a Christian, sure they might be bored. But, so would a non-christian 50 year old… until the Spirit works on their heart… they are dead in their sins after all. For the Christians, we should expect more from them and treat them like we would other relationships within the body. I think they’ll catch on, even if it’s new to them and they haven’t been treated that way by Christians from other age categories. We should not be marked by being annoyed or surprised, even though it is a temptation when pursuing discipleship with anyone who seems bored, busy or disinteresed. We should be prayerful, passionate and persistent. And, if they aren’t teachable or responsive… tell an elder. Pass it on and find someone who is ready to grow! Along the way, I’m sure the college student could teach the disciple-R a lots as well!

A model of discipleship for college students?

2008-08-30T15:13:17Z

The following is advice from Karl Barth (one of the greatest minds of the 20th century) on how older folk in the church should care for the younger. Email us what you think (info@thirdavenue.org). I would like to post some comments from others. As you read them, ask what Biblical texts are assumed or ignored in these statements. Of course I have comments to follow. (Maybe one of the ghosts from 3abc’s past might send us a thought or two?)

Realize that younger people of both sexes, whether relatives or close in other ways, have a right to go their own ways according to their own (and not your) principles, ideas, and desires, to gain their own experiences, and to find happiness in their own (and not your) fashion.
Do not force upon them, then, your own example or wisdom or inclinations or favors.
Do not bind them in any way to yourself or put them under any obligation.
Do not be surprised or annoyed or upset if you necessarily find that they have no time, or little time, for you, that no matter how well-intentioned you may be toward them, or sure of your cause, you sometimes inconvenience and bore them, and they casually ignore you and your counsel.
When they act in this way, remember penitently that in your own youth you, too, perhaps (or probably) acted in the same way toward the older authorities of the time.
Be grateful for every proof of genuine notice and serious confidence they show you, but do not expect or demand such proofs.
Never in any circumstances give them up, but even as you let them go their own way, go with them in a relaxed and cheerful manner, trusting that God will do what is best for them, and always supporting and praying for them.

From A Late Friendship: The Letters of Karl Barth and Carl Zuckmayer (Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley; Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982), 45.

About the prayers

2008-08-29T14:18:04Z

Well, I am all out of prayers from the 4th century bishop of Nazianzus. I hope they were a blessing. I appreciated how he committed his day to be a sacrifice to the Lord (Rom 12:1-2), he repented in constant failure as a sinner, and even moreso, how his desire for obedience was wrapped up in the person and work of Christ.

He closes the first prayer with “my delight, my Christ: you bring it home.” What a wonderful meditation. The aim and goal of the heart is set apart and the means by which one accomplishes any kind of obedience is clear. Only Christ can give us the grace and strength to allow us to come home from a day without falling into our temptations. Notice also that the chief enemy is our sin and passion within, not someone or something outside of us.

In the second prayer he calls Christ his light in contrast to the darkness that he has surrounded himself with in his sins. The failure is Greg’s and his sin is primarily against Christ. It is Christ that forgives and gives new life.

Finally, the last prayer closes with a command to himself to remember his salvation. What peace this brings to us as we recognize our failures and look to prayer the first prayer of consecrating the new day to Christ. If we do not remember the gospel for our past failures, we will not have the courage to approach a new day in his grace and will enter the day already having lost the battle.

I hope this was an encouragement for how we ought to pray, live in obedience, rand repent of our sins according to the gospel.

A prayer for our failures yesterday from 4th cent

2008-08-28T17:38:11Z

Yesterday, Christ, turned out a total loss!

Rage came upon me, all at once, and took me.

Let me live this day as a day of light.

Gregory, look–be mindful, think of God!

You swore you would; remember your salvation!

An Evening Prayer

2008-08-27T23:05:29Z

O Truth, O Word, this morning I deceived you,

Marking this day as yours by consecration!

Night finds me now not fully in the light,

Although I prayed and hoped that might be so;

My feet have strayed and stumbled here and there.

The dark has come, begrudging me salvation.

Be light for me, O Christ–shine here once more!

A Morning Prayer from a 4th century Christian

2008-08-27T02:11:47Z

At dawn, I raise my hand in oath to God:

I shall not do or praise the deeds of darkness.

Rather, this day shall be my sacrifice;

I shall remain unshaken, rule my passions.

My age would shame me, if I were to sin,

As would this alter over which I stand.

Thus my desire, my Christ: you bring it home!

(From Brian Daley. Gregory of Nazianzus. London: Routledge Press, 2006, 170.)

Journey or Ticket

2008-08-27T02:05:08Z

As I listen to messages today I find a new lingo for what it means to be a Christian. In the past we talked about being born-again, committing your life to Christ, and surrendering all. Today we like to talk about taking a journey together.

What I am curious about is in the past there was an emphasis upon that one time decision that we would call personal conversion. It was likened to getting one’s “ticket” to heaven. If you wanted to place your faith in Christ, it simply required believing in a serious of facts (death, burial, resurrection) and praying a prayer. The moment of repentance and faith was clear. I find this new lingo often, not always, leaving out the explicit need for conversion or a moment of faith. I am hearing about bringing people to church so they can share our journey together but it is not always clear to me what kind of journey this is.

I heard a message geared to college students at a large evangelical church over the summer (I made myself wait months before I posted on it) that was supposed to be a talk on discipleship (Luke 14:25-27). The speaker never mentioned repentance or denying oneself or even placing one’s faith in Christ as necessary for discipleship. Discipleship was boiled down to walking together as a people with a common identity.

Now, I like the fact that the church is thought of as a people with a common identity. But what in the world is it except for a people who have repented of their sins, believed in Christ, and therefore, commit to one another because they are all children of God in Christ.

So why the post? The past lingo could be faulted for not emphasizing discipleship and ignoring the need for surrounding oneself with other believers after getting the “ticket.” The present lingo could be faulted with moving past the need to make one’s faith commitment to Christ explicit and necessary. I simply want us to be aware and clear in what we are declaring about the gospel. It is a personal faith in Christ and what he has accomplished for us so that we repent of our old life and commit to walk with other Christians. In other words, take the “ticket” and enjoy the ride.

Welcome U of L students

2008-08-25T21:09:59Z

School is back in session. Welcome back U of L students. If you are looking for a church home, we are located one block from the campus. Our service time is 10:45am.

On the first Sunday of the month we serve college students lunch at 1pm. (Sept 7 and 21–this month we will do it twice).

We also lead Crusade Bible studies on campus on Monday and Wednesday evenings. If you are interested in participating in these please call us or come to the Crusade meeting on Thursday night to find out more information. Ask for Andy.

We are a church that is trying to be active as evangelists on the campus. We also want to invite students into our lives and homes to care for them. We do not have a separate worship or class for college students because we want you all to be part of the church body. We believe the church is to be made up of all types and ages so we can learn to walk together by faith.

We look forward to meeting you and will be cheering for Hunter Cantwell to lead the Cards to a Big East title.

Principles & Practices for Church Reform

2008-08-21T16:34:06Z

I would like to point your attention to a series of blog posts over at 9Marks by our former Greg Gilbert entitled “Church Reform When You’re Not The Pastor“. If you’ve been a member of this church for some time, some of these posts will bring back memories of former days here at 3ABC. It’s been good to reflect on how these principles and practices proved true in the life of 3ABC. But all-in-all it’s been God’s grace to see that 3ABC should prosper through a difficult reform.

1. Reform is easier in a small church than in a large one.

2. Do what Christians do - love.

3. Make yourself a help, not a problem, to your church’s leader.

4. Aspire to leadership.

5. Have conversations with people - lots of them.

6. Train other leaders. Aim for majorities.

7. Show up to the meeting with a completed idea. Then let go of it.

8. Decide what’s crucial. Be willing to compromise on the rest.

9. Talk alot with those most opposed. Make a good-faith effort to alleviate their concerns.

Third In Five Announcement

2008-08-18T17:20:07Z

I wanted to make an announcement about a special Third in Five session that’s going to be offered this Friday evening, 22nd, beginning at 6pm at the church. (Parking is available behind the church and enter through the backdoor. We will also offer childcare and Starbucks Coffee.) In this session, we are going to cover all three of the five required membership courses for those interested in joining in September. Even if you aren’t interested in joining in Sept. but are wanting to know more about us then I would encourage you to come. We will be discussing our Statement of Faith, Church Covenant, and answer the question “Why Join a Church?”.

If you plan on visiting any time in the near future then feel free to sit in on our Third in Five course that begins every Sunday morning at 9:45. It’s a way for you to get to know something about Third Avenue Baptist in five weeks.

Please email us here with any other questions.

Love God

2008-08-08T16:03:18Z

This past Sunday evening I had the privilege of preaching from Deut. 10:12-13; one of the best passages from the OT. It is probably the best summary of Deuteronomy’s message to the nation of Israel. I spent the last half of my sermon listing four descriptions that help explain what exactly it means when we are commanded to “love God” (Deut. 4:37; 5:10; 6:4-5; 7:9, 12-13; 10:12-13, 15, 18; 23:5; 33:3). I would like to share them here.

A. It is unique to the God of the Bible. There is no other world, religion where you find this commandment. It wasn’t true for the pagan idols in Israel’s time nor is it now. Allah does not command Muslims to love him. He commands them to fear and obey him but not love him. So this commandment is unique because it reflects the covenantal relationship between God and his people. Only God chose and redeemed his people in love; thus, it is not unexpected that they would love him in return. After all what does the New Testament say but that “We love because he first loved us.”

B. It encompasses a person’s entire being. We see this partially in 10:13. But we find it elsewhere that we are to love God with all of our “heart, soul, and might.” Every last ounce of our inner being, with all of our emotions and will are to be fixed upon God. Furthermore, we love God with a rational love. Our intellect is informed about God and directed toward him. And, lastly, all of our physical capacities and functions should be expressed in such a way that shows we are concerned about God’s name being honored. So we love God with our entire being.

C. It is the summary and foundation of the entire law. Jesus himself cites a similar command from Deut. 6:4-5 stating that the entire law is summarized and founded upon this covenantal love between God and his people. God is not finally concerned about whether or not our religion is about following a list of dos and don’ts. He is concerned about the heart. He desires a heart that obeys out of love and faith. He tells Israel to circumcise their hearts (10:17). (Which leads to the last description.)

D. It is demonstrated in obedience. This was true of Jesus who perfectly loved and obeyed God. And it ought to be true of us. We show that we love God when we obey him. But no longer is God’s law in a wooden box but on our hearts. So our hearts love to obey him. And our obedience testifies to the truth of the gospel in our lives – that by faith we live a transformed life in obedience to God…that we have been saved to good works. It is the identifying marker that we have come to know God and have been born of God.

What a Lesson!

2008-08-08T15:40:06Z

How do you fight against the sin of pride, fear of man, and distrust of God? Learn from Job when God spoke the following humbling reminder in Job 38.

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Dress for action like a man;
   I will question you, and you make it known to me. 4“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
   Tell me, if you have understanding.
5Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
   Or who stretched the line upon it?
6On what were its bases sunk,
   or who laid its cornerstone,
7when the morning stars sang together
   and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8“Or who shut in the sea with doors
   when it burst out from the womb,
9when I made clouds its garment
   and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10and prescribed limits for it
   and set bars and doors,
11and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
   and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

12“Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
   and caused the dawn to know its place,
13that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,
   and the wicked be shaken out of it?
14It is changed like clay under the seal,
   and its features stand out like a garment.
15From the wicked their light is withheld,
   and their uplifted arm is broken.

16“Have you entered into the springs of the sea,
   or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
   or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
   Declare, if you know all this.

Unity Among Elders

2008-07-21T17:02:03Z

The past two months have marked a big change in 3ABC’s leadership with the resignation of three elders (Left to Right: Jeremy Yong, Greg Gilbert, Aaron Menikoff). This was a bitter sweet moment as we said good-bye to these beloved brothers who have been called to serve other churches full-time. Jeremy will be serving as Director of Ministries at church in Dubai City in the UAE. Greg is going on staff as an Associate Pastor/Church Planter at Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.. In partnership and with the support of CHBC, he will plant a church in Annapolis, MD, Lord willing, in a few years. Aaron left at the end of May and has been serving as the senior pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. We thank God for the years these brothers served formally and informally and we look forward in anticipation to how God will use their gifts else where.

This parting does, however, leave me with an opportunity to reflect on how relational unity was and can be fostered among elders. Needless to say, doctrinal unity and like-mindedness is absolutely essential for an effective elder board and should not be taken for granted. But, unfortunately, what often divides leaders are personality differences and conflicts. So here are a couple of practical ways to foster relational unity.

First, be regular disciplers of one another. It’s easy for leaders to spend nearly all their time discussing church matters and not their personal lives. In the long run that can lead to unnecessary conflict and disagreement because the time hasn’t been taken to care for one another. It is much easier to have fruitful discussion about the church’s direction when you know that the brothers around the table have a deep love and care for your spiritual well-being; that they have taken the time and energy to invest in you. One of the practical ways I do this is by having intentional conversations with the elder I ride with to a meeting. (If that’s Wheeler, it’s pretty short because of how fast we’re going. JK, Wheels!)

Second, become close friends. That may sound too simple, but I promise you that it works. Some of my closest friends at church and in life are the other elders. You do this by going on couple dates and vacations. Have dinners together regularly. Encourage friendship among your kids. We take a weekend retreat each year. We use that time to discuss the church’s future and the larger items we can’t fit into an elders meeting. But it is also a great opportunity to hang out and laugh together. At one of our lunches last year we discussed who was the most talkitive and in the best shape. Plenty of laughs to go around at that. Another fun way we share laughs is by keeping a “quote bank.” This is a collection of sayings from our meetings that are priceless. You can do whatever you want. The point is that the elders must make an effort to become good friends.

(In my next post, I’ll give some practical advice on what the congregation should be looking for when they consider future elders.)

Caution: Gender Discrimination?

2008-07-10T19:51:13Z

Do you see anything wrong with this sign? Of course! It’s discriminatory because women are commonly found on construction and road repair crews holding these signs and working equally along side men. At least that’s the argument from Cynthia Good, founding editor of PINK Magazine, as reported in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Good demanded that the signs be removed and the Atlanta Public Works Commissioner, Joe Basista, agreed. “Public Works officials are replacing 50 ‘Men Working’ with signs that say ‘Workers Ahead.’ It will cost $22 to cover over some of the old signs and $144 to buy new signs, said Public Works spokeswoman Valerie Bell-Smith said.” To a city like Atlanta, the largest in the South, that amount is like pennies in an ash tray. But it is Good’s response to the city’s action and her future intentions that indicates a larger discussion - “Score one for gender equality. (Atlanta) gets it. (Now) we’re calling on the rest of the nation to follow suit and make a statement that we will not accept these subtle forms of discrimination.”

If you’re like me, part of you may just laugh when you hear of such actions. In the end, however, it is no laughing matter because it brings up a host of questions. For example, did the manufacturers of the sign mean mankind in general when they wrote “men working”? It’s doubtful given the nature of the job where such signs are normally found. And, yes, I’m being partly playful here. Nonetheless, such a question probably could be raised when deciding a formal complainant.

More importantly though, at what point does the wrongful “discrimination” and rightful “inclusion” end? At the end of the day, who will decide what is and is not offensive? Who sets the standard for what is and is not discriminatory? The standard, as illustrated in this case, is set by the defended party. Good brought it to the city’s attention that she had been offended and working women were being discriminated against. Thus, it was Good’s standard that was set and had to be decided on by the city. This goes to illustrate just how powerful the individual’s “rights” have become in our culture. If one person is offended then he or she has the “right” to file whatever form of complaint he or she deems suitable. (David Wells notes this in The Courage To Be Protestant.)

One of the more obvious questions and particularly important ones to the church is at what point can we use “cultural artifacts” (to use one of Dr. Mohler’s terms) to make gender distinctions? Can we ever use anything to distinguish our God-given gender roles? If Good can make a case for “men working” signs then who’s to stop someone from filing suit against the church for saying, “In accordance with 1 Timothy 2:12 and 3:2, women shall not serve as Elders” (Article 3, Section 2, Clause 4 of TABC’s Constitution)? This is not a question for a later generation. It is one that is already being taken up now.

Repent of Something Besides Your Sins

2008-06-30T19:16:19Z

Tim Keller has a new book called The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith . I just finished listening to his sermon “The Prodigal Sons” from Luke 15:11-32. In it he has a wonderful observation about the repentance of the Pharisees whom Jesus was telling the parable to. Keller said:

You need to learn how to repent of something besides sins. The younger brother comes back and repents of everything he did. That’s what a lot people think you should do. You repent of your list. But do you see how radical this parable is? The elder brother is lost but he’s got nothing on his list…So how does a person who’s lost, who’s got no sins on the list, get saved? And of course there’s no such thing as a sinless person. We know that. But here’s the point: When Pharisees sin, of course they repent and they feel terrible some times. But when they’re done repenting they’re still Pharisees. The difference between a Christian and a moralist is this – Christians also repent of what they’ve done wrong. A Christian is also one who has learned to repent for the reasons you did right…Christians recognize that the reasons for even the right things that they do is self-justification and the desire to control God and others. And when that penny drops; when you begin to see that you desire to be savior and lord, not only of the bad things you’ve done but also over the good things, when you see that changes everything. It’s called a new birth because it’s so radical.

How do we receive this new birth? By placing our faith in Jesus who paid the penatly on the cross; the penatly that we sinners owed. Keller said on the cross Jesus cried “My God, my God” instead of “My Father, my Father” because at that point he was not being treated as a son so that you and I could be.

Word Clouds

2008-06-21T14:23:16Z

You’re probably asking yourself, “What is a word cloud?” That was my thought exactly when Justin Taylor pointed out this really cool website called Wordle. Wordle takes large portions of texts that you provide to create a “word cloud.” The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes.

The coolest thing is that Wordle allows you to use your clouds however you please. Here is an example of Psalm 119.

Where Does This Leave Us?

2008-06-04T14:46:58Z

AP reported early this morning that Sen. Barack Obama “laid claim to the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday night, taking a historic step toward his once-improbable goal of becoming the nation’s first black president.” It is quite true that this is a “historical step”; one that my children’s children will learn in American History classes. So where does this leave us now? Well, I’m not sharp enough to know exactly. But we can reflect on where we’ve been. And that’s exactly what Thabiti Anyabwile has done is this excellent timeline.

Add ‘em to your wish list

2008-06-04T03:21:32Z

Here are some fairly new books worth mentioning that I’ve added to my “wish list.” While I’m noting book lists, check out Dr. Mohler’s summer reading list.

New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ by Tom Schnreiner (NT Theologies would be a massive task to take on.)

The Gladiators: History’s Most Deadly Sport by Fik Meijer (HT: MH. This is a “guys” book. I gave it as a gift to one of the biggest “guys” I know.)

Minority Report: Unpopular Thoughts on Everything from Ancient Christianity to Zen Calvinism by Carl Trueman (Trueman is a blast to read. I just wish I was British so I could better understand his humor. That’s why I have Bruce.)

Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal: A Biblical, Historical and Theological Proposal by David Dockery (Large work for dirt cheap…$9.99. So what’s the state of the SBC? HT: JT)

The Fidelity of Betrayal: Towards a Church Beyond Belief by Peter Rollins (You’ve got to read some things you don’t agree with.)

Fear Not! Death and the Afterlife from a Christian Perspective by Ligon Duncan with J. Nicholas Reid (It won’t be long before my generation will have to deal with the death of our parents. What will you say?)

Same Theological Well; Different Cups

2008-06-01T01:06:02Z

Last Sunday I completed a two-part course on The New Perspective(s) on Paul in our Christianity Matters class. Now if you have any understanding of the NPP, you’re probably thinking the same thing I thought when I sat down to outline the class - this is useless and esoteric. A local church, especially Baptist, has no need discussing the NPP. Where’s its relevance? In hindsight, that question ended up being the hardest and the one I did the poorest job at answering. (Note to all teachers: make sure your audience knows the topic’s relevance.) Though it should have been obvious since all of my reading and research was on a semi-scholarly to scholarly level. Most people don’t even know what nomism is much less care if it’s covenantal or variegated. (To which you say, “Huh?” And I say, “My point exactly!”)

I’ll grant there is some relevance in the accusation that we’ve misunderstood Paul because of his interpreters, namely Luther and Augustine. In other words, the NPP says we’ve got Paul all wrong because we’ve spent too much time reading Piper, who reads Edwards, who read Luther, who read Augustine. Okay, now they’re getting a little closer to home. In addition, they say it is misleading to claim that all Jews in the first-century believed in a works-righteousness religion. That too is an accusation made of traditionally reformed people like myself. But even if those are relevant accusations, when was the last time you found church members discussing them after the evening service? Where’s the cool attraction in that for young people?

My point in all of that is to say the NPP discussion can be irrelevant to most congregations. (I emphasize “can” because any Christian or pastor that’s dealt with an errant member on this issue or some variation of it knows by experience its relevance.) So where is the NPP’s relevance for the rest of us?

I think it’s in the theological commonality with emergent theology, namely the emphasis on the gospel being about Jesus’ lordship, victorious kingdom, and inclusive community to the exclusion of a guilty sinner’s salvation from God’s wrath through Jesus’ substitutionary death and imputed righteousness. That’s the line, albeit perforated, connecting the NPP and Emergent. They use different cups to drink from the same theological well. They both talk about the traditional understanding of the gospel and justification being too small or individualistic. It’s “not about how someone gets saved.” Justification is not about “soteriology but ecclesiology.” Instead, they argue, it’s about the story of the Bible. It’s about God’s solution to Israel’s abiding problem - the exile - and his inclusion of the Gentiles. The gospel is much larger and cosmic in scope than the traditional church has affirmed. It’s about God overcoming all the sin and evil wrought by the Fall and not about individual sinners being guilty before God. Furthermore, they both conclude with with the same implications - social restoration. (If you want resources, read Brian McLaren’s The New Kind of Christian and N.T. Wright’s What Saint Paul Really Said: Was Paul of Tarsus the Real Founder of Christianity?)

Well, it’s here in the theological similarity that you find its relevance. It’s a similar theological drink being passed around in different cups. You may be a in a reformed church and have to deal with theological issues that are explicitly labeled NPP or some variation. You may be in a church that has no reformed roots at all but have to deal with matters from the growing popularity of Emergent theology. But no matter what church you’re in the issues will have alot in common. And that common tread is to reconceive and redefine the gospel in different terms.

Na Audio

2008-05-29T21:44:56Z

New Attitude has posted the messages from this year’s conference on their website. Na, a ministry of Sovereign Grace Ministries, encourages young Christians to live in Humble Orthodoxy. Enjoy!

Ripping, Burning, Eating: A Right Response to God’s Word
by Joshua Harris

The Authority of Scripture
by Mark Dever

Biblical Q&A
by Al Mohler

The Troubled Soul: God’s Word and Our Feelings
by C.J. Mahaney

What’s the Point?: Growing in Vision for Diligent Study
by Eric Simmons

William Tyndale: A Life Transformed by God’s Word
by John Piper

Fighting for Faith with God’s Word
by John Piper

God as Father: Understanding the Doctrine of Adoption in God’s Word
By C.J. Mahaney

(Download audio by right clicking and choosing “save as…”)

The Local Church is a Liability to a Christian

2008-05-26T20:30:36Z

In his new book, The Courage to Be Protestant: Truth-lovers, Marketers, and Emergents in the Postmodern World, David Wells comments on the two weakness of the classical evangelicals. First, doctrine shrank because liberty was allowed on all issues other than the core principles that defined evangelicals - Scripture’s authority and Christ’s penal substitutionary death (7-8). In the end, a “series of hybrid” evangelicals emerged - “feminist evangelicals, ecumenical evangelicals, liberal evangelicals”, etc - that were defined and shaped by their additional “tag” rather than the core principles (9).

The second weakness was the vanishing of local churches. It became a matter of “personal choice” for whether or not the core principles needed to be lived out “primarily in an ecclesiastical context.” Thus, there was the rise of parachurch ministries, which lived to “strengthen the life of the churches” in the beginning. Since then, however, evangelicals have thought of their faith in “para” terms and apart from the church (10). This attitudinal shift coupled with the rise of church “marketers” resulted in many churches disappearing and becoming “entirely parachurch in nature! (11).

Wells concludes that this “disappearing trick would never have been possible if evangelicals were still thinking in doctrinal terms.” He continued:

The truth is that without a biblical understanding of why God instituted it, the church easily becomes a liablility in a market where it competes only with the greatest of difficulty against religious fare available in the conveniences of one’s living room and in a culture bent on distraction and entertainment. Few demands are made by television preachers, or on borrowed DVDs, and every pitch for a financial contribution is subject to death by the mute button. That cannot be said of the preacher in a church! This conquest by the market, accomplished silently and without any fanfare, has not only greatly diminished the church but, one has to say, has also greatly diminshed what it means to be a Christian believer (11).