UISBC Agenda

The agenda for the UISBC annual meeting is posted here.

UISBC Annual Convention

Pastor's Conference
October 26-27, 2009

Missions Night
October 26, 2009

Utah/Idaho Southern Baptist Convention
October 27-28, 2009

Central Valley Baptist Church
600 North Ten Mile Road

Meridian, Idaho

Truth

Y.E.S.

Y.E.S. (Youth Evangelism Sending Teams) are out in full force this month. Students from Utah and Idaho are helping churches reach their communities. This month we (UISBC) are sending our first Y.E.S. team beyond our boarders and sending a team to Canada for nearly two weeks lead by John Martinez of Eastside Baptist Church in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Pray for all Y.E.S. teams.

Eastern Idaho

9Marks eJournal

Mark Dever, Pastor at Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC has a great resource on church health and related aritcles that you may find of interest from time to time. 9Marks published a journal of various topics you can subscribe to here. 

The May/June 2009 issue became an imediate read for me because of the topic of multi-site church growth thoughts. This reminded me of a pastor in Colorado in the early 70s who preached in New Castle and Rifle (about 14 miles apart) every Sunday morning while both churches were new and shared the support of their pastor. How could this be a model for church planting in rural Idaho and Utah as well as the cities of Salt Lake City and Boise?

Prayer For New State Staff

Dear Utah/Idaho Southern Baptist,
Join together in prayer as the process continues in the search of new state staff positions.

Church Shooting March 8, 2009

Today at First Baptist Church of Maryville, Ill, pastor Fred Winters was shot to death while preaching.

"Senior Pastor Fred Winters was preaching during the 8:15 a.m. service when a man entered the church, walked down the aisle and started shooting, a parishioner told FOX News. Four others were also reportedly shot." FOXNEWS

Please pray for this church and his family.

Repent!

While still reading the classic, "the Overcoming Life" by D. L. Moody in Chapter four he says;

"When the ungodly see that Christian people do not, you cannot expect them to repent and turn away from their sins."

Moody then proceeds to walk through five things that flow out of true repentance.

1. Conviction 
2. Contrition
3. Confession of sin
4. Conversion
5. Confession of Jesus Christ

I'm surprised and encouraged to hear Moody's boldness from the pulpit. He frequently pleads with the listener to 'repent' and he is clear about what is ment by repent. He must have been a fun guy to listen to, but very straight forward about Truth. At first glance, the title of his book sounds like a modern day 'self-help' book, but with every word I hear it as bathed in Scripture.

Act Like a Man

A classic song by Isaac Watts entitled "Am I A Soldier of the Cross" has captured my attention while reading a biography of D.L. Moody. This song is rooted, according to Watts, in 1 Corinthians 16:13; "Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong." (HCSB). 

I'm captured by this song mostly because of its reflective strength within my spirit. The First and final verse (isn't that how hymns are supposed to be sung?) speaks to the duty of proclamation upon the follower of Christ.

v.1  Am I a soldier of the cross,

       A foll'wer of the Lamb?

       And shall I fear to own His cause,

       or blush to speak His name?

v.4 Sure I must fight if I would reign,

       Increase my courage, Lord:

       I'll bear the toil, endure the pain

       Supported by Thy Word. 

Was Isaac Watts writing this song to men? When I look at the Scripture text he claims to have used as background text, it does seem to fit that this is a song written to men. So if that is the case, men, 'act like a man' and be a soldier of the cross.

I mean no disrespect at this point (or at any point for that matter) but where are the men in the church in America? This song was a favorite of D.L. Moody and seems to have been a regular theme of this second great awakening in our land. Leave the song aside and look at the Scripture again and look at the landscape of our churches today. Paul was not telling women to 'act like a man.' Where are most of the men? Who's doing the teaching? Who's leading the music? Who's taking up the offering? Who's meeting the needs of the orphan and widow? Who's doing the preaching? Who's going on mission? Are we soldiers of the cross? I'm praying (like others I trust) for a fresh awakening in our land, I'm calling out the call to the men in our church to stand up and 'act like a man.' There is an equal need to call out the women to act like a woman; however, this is not a article about if a woman could or should, this is an article calling out the men. (at this point, I do wish to express my awareness that there are men doing these things with brave boldness, and I do not wish to diminish the courageous behavior of women, I'm simply raising the question.)

(SIDE NOTE: I enjoyed reading Isaac Watts' explanation of why he wrote songs, he was tired of the ones being sung in his day (this was met with opposition) so he wrote new ones that were fresh.)

Administrative Committee Meeting

The Administrative Committee of the Utah/Idaho SBC will be meeting Thursday and Friday (2/19-2/20) in Salt Lake City.

Please pray as they begin the journey of exploring resumes concerning open ministry positions within the UISBC.

Ski and Share is March 13-15 Contact the state office for more information. 801.572.5350

Herding Crowds or Authentic Follower of Christ?

Dear Utah/Idaho SBC,

Have you discovered yet how short and precious each day is? (I'm discovering this every day.) How much of your day gets chewed up on superficial things? I've been reading biographies of missionaries from the 1800's and early 1900's and find myself silenced by the preparation of a past era of the church and how she prepared herself to die well. She produced (like she still does today) followers of Christ ready to give themselves without hesitation to God.

Someone in the past must have spent time teaching followers how to die well. Will you join me in praying for a generation in the church prepared to die well? Pray for a generation that will be real with God and real with man. Pray for a generation of young men who will take hold of life and turn off their TVs and abandon the stuff that keeps them mediocre. Pray for young women who will be attracted by God's glory over the attention a guy gives her because of her clothing. Pray with me for both, that their emotions will no longer be dictated for them by this present age, but rather directed by God Himself who has promised He will never leave them or forsake them. Pray with me for authentic followers and fewer herding crowds.

O, for an awakening; an awakening in this land that will grip the attention of the world, An awakening that is heard from the silent prayer closet of a pastor praying and rightly dividing the Word of Truth. An awakening that shakes the sleeping out of their slumber.

When I look at this generation of young people I am both joyed and troubled. Joyed because this day calls for authentic followers of Christ, and they are among us. Troubled because more and more, in their attempt to be individuals, are looking more like the world than a follower of Christ. The real follower of Christ in this generation will have to stand by himself while his friends gently row their boats down an easy going river unaware of the present danger of the deadly waterfall just ahead. There is too much chatter and noise to hear the roar of the danger to know how near death is. Ironically there must be nothing more lonely and silent than dying without Christ. The masses may have things and stuff that are shiny, expensive, and loud but how lonely and tragic the day that will be when they die Christless. Pray for a generation of young people who will be still and know that God is God.

21 Alive, I'm Christ's messenger; dead, I'm his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can't lose. Phil 1:21 (MSG)

Are we disciplining our youth to hear God's voice or follow after the latest church fad? Have we taught them what it looks like to abandon the attractions of this world or have we simply taught them the skills of sounding spiritual? Will they inherret from us non-profit organizations we call 'churches' or are they watching us follow with abandon a supernatural God? Will our annuity accounts keep us secure for an unknown day or will we finally live like sojourners in a foreign land? Are we ready Utah/Idaho Southern Baptists? If not, let's ready ourselves now! In the getting ready don't we become the sweet smelling aroma of Christ to a tragically superficial world?

Unplugging my TV and going to the prayer closet; because I need God more than this world!

Paul <><

The Last Hymn

Is this how the 'last hymn' (or song) has always been treated? The congregation has gathered to seek the face of God; they have endured the music, passed the plate to the person next to them, and day dreamed their way through the sermon, and then while the song leader instructs the congregation to stand for the invitation (a.k.a. the 'last hymn') rather than asking God to search their hearts the vast majority view this ritual as time to gather all their things, stretch, rub the sleepy out of their eyes, and begin thinking about lunch plans rather than seek the face of Holy God and consider the weightiness of His glory.

          While reading Hudson Taylor's biography by John Pollock over the past few days I'm stuck again at how common the issues are throughout the generations of the church. After giving so much of his life to the people of China, Taylor returned to his home church in Europe to realize how sterile the church had become.

As the full congregation rose to sing the last hymn (i.e. time to get ready to leave) Taylor looked around. Pew upon pew of the prosperous bearded merchants, shopkeepers, and visitors; demure wives in their bonnets, scrubbed children trained to hide their impatience; the atmosphere of smug piety sickened him. He seized his hat and left. "Unable to bear the sight of a congregation of a thousand or more Christian people rejoicing in their own security, while millions are perishing for lack of knowledge, I wandered out on the sands alone in great spiritual agony."

Was Taylor seeing what we see when we look at the congregation when they rise to sing the 'last hymn'? When people leave the gathering of the faithful do they go looking for places to display the glory of God or do they look for the moment to remind the pastor that the toilet has been running the entire time we have been together and that the music leader made them stand for too long? When God's people leave the assembly do they go away thinking about who needs to hear the gospel or do they whisper in the pastor's ear as they shake his hand telling him that if he doesn't go to visit the Thompson's soon they may start looking for another church?

          We must repent of our self-seeking ways. We must seek the face of God. We must pray for an awakening! 

          If Hudson Taylor was sickened by the atmosphere of smug piety, what must it be like for God? I see hope in Christ, but it must be sought with a sober reality that it most likely may mean that the pursuit of the Glory of God will come on a lonely, out of the way, narrow, difficult road, where few will dare travel upon, but it leads to life! Stay the course! Fix your gaze upon Him and run the race!

Supernaturally Big!

1 How blessed is he who considers the helpless; The Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble. Psalms 41:1 (NASB)

Does your church have a consideration of the helpless (the poor, needy, troubled, weak, etc.?)

Isn't there a spiritual disconnect when a church says that they care about the poor and then does not even have a consideration of the poor. Jesus told his disciples that they would always have the poor with them (Matt. 26:11.)  

What does it communicate to the community your church is in when churches tell the helpless that we are "just a small church and we really can't help you." What does that say about our God? Doesn't it communicate that we think their problem is too big for God? 

When did government get the task of feeding the poor? Government begins to do so when a "church" quits believing God can do supernaturally big with physically little. (remember the feeding of the crowd with a few fish and loaves of bread?) 

The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest [non-catholic] denomination in the united states. We must ask God to help us not brag about ourselves because what will we say the next time someone in our community comes looking for assistance? "We are just a small church and we really can't help you." 

• Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is one of the ways we answer the call from the helpless. 
  
• the Salt Lake City Baptist Association Concern Center is one of the ways Baptists in the SLC area are able to answer the need
• How does your church or association answer the call when it comes from the community? Share it here to encourage others to keep on or consider how to stimulate each other on to do good (Heb. 10 :23-25).

How supernaturally big is God? Undefinable (bigger than my thoughts and higher than my ways kind of big); if that is God then surely He's big enough to meet the need of this day

Why Churches Die

I'm in an interesting read right now. Why Churches Die, by Mac Brunson and Ergun Caner. I have much to still digest and consider on many of their positions but this one quote has me in deep consideration.

Every church has three animals in the flock:

sheep, goats and wolves.

The job of biblical leadership is simple:

Love the sheep.

Convert the goats.

Kill the wolves.

-anonymous-

Environmentalists may take issue with such a statement like this, but consider it with me. isn't the book of Jude all about the identify and ridding the church of a lethal poison? Peter goes into great detail to identify the false prophet (wolf or 'lion') to help the church remain healthy.

What poisons are keeping the church chronically ill? (feel free to sign your comment as 'anonymous' if it helps speak boldly)

I hold that we would have to walk with extreme caution with a thought like the above statement. If we don't we may shoot sheep and goats alike while trying to protect them. (I'm speaking metaphorically about shooting them by the way.) But seriously why doesn't church leadership exercise biblical protection of the church for the health of the church?

Your God Is Too Small

While reading J.B. Phillips (1906-1982) booklet Your God Is Too Small (originally published in 1953) I continue to discover, that for the most part, churches don't really wrestle with anything new. (maybe a few exceptions related to technology, but the core issues seem to span time.) When I read a biography of historical preachers I discover them expressing similar struggles that I experience, answering the same complaints from the body, and the timeless battle over music (hear both sarcasm and lament.)

The following statements by Phillips is among many profound observations on what we tend to do with God. (Keep in mind that these observations were made in 1953, the 'glory' days of our denomination.) What and who is the object of our worship?

Our hymns, with some notable exceptions, often express a Victorian and very rarely a "big enough" idea of God.  To appreciate their true value they should be read aloud in cold blood and dissociated from the well loved tunes. At baptism, matrimony, and burial, we continue to use language which ordinary people can hardly understand, but which they feel vaguely is old-fashioned and out of touch with their actual lives. They respect the Grand Old Man and His peculiarities, but they feel no inclination to worship Him as the living God.  (page 12 & 13)

I need to constantly be teaching the people in my church to fix their eyes on God and not their idea of a god. Does the average church member worship the same God as did Abraham, Moses, and David? I must use extreme caution how I present worship and who I place as the object of worship.

Phillips continues to address many misapplications of man that we place upon God but the one that I'm often guilty of doing is what he explains here.

There are, for example, those who are considerably worried by the thought of God simultaneously hearing and answering the prayers and aspirations of people all over the world. That may be because their mental picture is of a harassed telephone operator answering callers at a switchboard of superhuman size.  It is really better to say frankly, "I can't imagine how it can be done" (which is the literal truth), than to confuse the mind with the picture of an enlarged man performing the impossible. 

...Similarly it is natural and right, of course, that the worship we offer to God in public should be of the highest possible quality.  But that must not lead us to conceive a musically "Third-Programme" god who prefers the exquisite rendering of a cynical professional choir to the ragged bawling of sincere but untutored hearts. (page 28 & 29)

Have I made God small (in my mind and others) by trying to explain what I can't explain? I know I have done so and I'm thankful for the insightful observation of Phillips in relationship to how small I tend to present God.

This causes me to bring to question if I have any ability apart from God to know quickly, or even at all, how to answer the (over marketed) question What Would Jesus Do? I closely walk next to idolatry if I decide what Jesus would do in a particular situation. I might be better to ask 'what did Jesus do?' and base my reasoning on what I know about God (the blessing of the Bible) rather than what I think about God (based on philosophy).

My Prayer: God, Help! In your bigness you have chosen me, I am undone before you.