In Sunday School today we began a series about Baptist freedoms, or foundations. Walter Shurden lays out four freedoms that are pivotal to understanding what Baptists are all about. Today we explored what Bible Freedom means for us and what it meant for the first Baptists.
Originally, what we know as Baptists, were not interested in beginning a whole new denomination. They simply wanted to be free to be "faithful and obedient to Christ." So, they decided that people should be free to read and study the Bible under the authority of the Lordship of Christ. They said He was the ultimate authority and that the Bible had to be interpreted using Him as the norm. Everything in Scripture points to Jesus Christ, the Old and New Testaments.
In addition, the Bible is the final written authority for Baptists. This does not mean creeds and other statements of faith cannot exist or have no value. It simply means they are not greater than or equal to the Bible. No confession can adequately express all that person believes. It can show the main, core elements of faith, but not the whole. And so, the Bible stands far above them as authoritative.
Baptists have been known for many years as "people of the Book." This refers mostly to the idea that Baptists read and study and formulate ideas about faith and doctrine for themselves without a higher "office" dictating or suggesting interpretations and doctrine. While there are some groups today in some strands of Baptist life who seemingly would like to do just that, Baptists hold that the individuals are free to explore and express their faith themselves.
Of course, this begs the question about heretical doctrine and teaching related to personal interpretation of Scripture. Well, it must be remembered that Baptists hold to the idea of personal study under the Lordship of Christ, which means Christ and the Spirit are leading in the discovery of truth. In addition, it is important to recognize the years and years of Church history and tradition that feeds into our modern understanding. While we would say that we do not hold tightly to such Church doctrine tradition, we cannot say it has no influence in our thinking. Ultimately, if Christ is guiding, the truth found should be theologically sound.
One final note Shurden makes in this section is that this idea of Bible freedom is hard work because it means we must study, seek, read, think, work and dig to understand the Scripture to the best of our abilities with the best of the resources available to us. We should never take lightly the task of being able to discover Truth for ourselves.
More to come as we learn what it means to claim to be of the Baptist way.
Lory
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Transition is.....
tough. We deal with it all the time and today I was reminded again how difficult change can be for groups, churches and individuals. It can bring out the best in people. It can bring out the worst in people. Ultimately, it means we are different today than we were yesterday. Different tomorrow than today.
We said goodbye to Coy and Tiff officially today at church. We watched some videos of the students saying how much they love them and a video of random pictures from the past four years they have served Trinity Baptist Church faithfully as Ministers to Students. We had a cake and prayed for them. We wrote notes and sang our favorite closing song for one last time with this particular group.
And while this is a sad day, it is mostly a day of celebration. Celebrating what God has done, how God has moved, how God has led. It has been a day of memories, both funny and serious. It has been a day of laughs and hugs. Celebrating is good. It is fun. It is necessary. And, it is proper. Even God celebrated on the seventh day (well, rested...but things were done, which often involves celebration for us) by setting it apart and resting and marveling at His work.
And now, Coy and Tiffany move on to study full-time and pursue the call God has placed on their lives. Yet, we know that they have left a big chunk of their hearts with us--not just in their memories and actions, but in the ways they have impacted and changed us. And, we know that a big chunk of TBC's heart is with them--not just the t-shirts and pictures (and 10 lbs. we gained from eating two meals at church today!), but in the love and support and encouragement I hope we have given them on this part of the journey.
So, transition is tough. However, it is often necessary if we are to follow God and call we each have. These times of change will be different for all of us, but they will come. The question is: what will we leave behind and what will we take with us in those moments?
I pray that what the Jennings take is half as wonderful as what they left behind.
Lory
We said goodbye to Coy and Tiff officially today at church. We watched some videos of the students saying how much they love them and a video of random pictures from the past four years they have served Trinity Baptist Church faithfully as Ministers to Students. We had a cake and prayed for them. We wrote notes and sang our favorite closing song for one last time with this particular group.
And while this is a sad day, it is mostly a day of celebration. Celebrating what God has done, how God has moved, how God has led. It has been a day of memories, both funny and serious. It has been a day of laughs and hugs. Celebrating is good. It is fun. It is necessary. And, it is proper. Even God celebrated on the seventh day (well, rested...but things were done, which often involves celebration for us) by setting it apart and resting and marveling at His work.
And now, Coy and Tiffany move on to study full-time and pursue the call God has placed on their lives. Yet, we know that they have left a big chunk of their hearts with us--not just in their memories and actions, but in the ways they have impacted and changed us. And, we know that a big chunk of TBC's heart is with them--not just the t-shirts and pictures (and 10 lbs. we gained from eating two meals at church today!), but in the love and support and encouragement I hope we have given them on this part of the journey.
So, transition is tough. However, it is often necessary if we are to follow God and call we each have. These times of change will be different for all of us, but they will come. The question is: what will we leave behind and what will we take with us in those moments?
I pray that what the Jennings take is half as wonderful as what they left behind.
Lory
Monday, July 13, 2009
People are Hurting...
Today I am overwhelmed with grief for friends and strangers. In the last 24 hours I've discovered that a person very close to me endured a horrific situation a few weeks back, a church van carrying youth blew a tire causing major injuries and one death, and a news anchor I watched for years died long before he should have due to medical complications.
Many, many people around us are hurting all the time, yet we often do not notice. We tend to be so wrapped up in our own issues that we forget that others are going through things, often much worse than our own.
If you want to pray for people, start with my friend or FBC Shreveport or Brett Johnson's family or those around you who are suffering in silence.
Grace and peace to you this day.
lory
Many, many people around us are hurting all the time, yet we often do not notice. We tend to be so wrapped up in our own issues that we forget that others are going through things, often much worse than our own.
If you are hurting today, and want to share you struggle or leave a prayer request, email me at toe4@hotmail.com.
If you want to pray for people, start with my friend or FBC Shreveport or Brett Johnson's family or those around you who are suffering in silence.
Grace and peace to you this day.
lory
Monday, May 25, 2009
Simplicity...
I have several friends who have recently been talking about simplicity and decluttering on their blogs. As I have pondered their thoughts and discoveries about these two ideas, I have decided that I am WAY to busy, WAY to involved and WAY to complicated. My life is running me instead of the other way around.
I have decided to simplify my life. Granted, I'm not sure exactly what it will look like. I don't know what all it will involve. But, I do know that my actions are directly linked to simplicity or chaos. I want to make huge changes quickly, but that is not as feasible as I'd like. So, I will commit to do several smaller things each month, adding to the previous month's activities (I know, a strange word when speaking of simplifying!).
To start, I will commit to doing the following things through the month of June (since it's almost the end of May).
1. Eat at home or take my meals with me unless the meal is provided by someone else. (With the exception of 1 meal a week--I eat with a great group of ladies every Wednesday for lunch....the fellowship is worth the meal out!)
2. I will recycle what I can because in doing so I will be more conscious of what I buy and what I get.
3. I declare June "No-Buy Month" except for one grocery trip and the meals previously mentioned.
These things will help me to be a better manager of my resources and time. Let the simplicity begin.
I have decided to simplify my life. Granted, I'm not sure exactly what it will look like. I don't know what all it will involve. But, I do know that my actions are directly linked to simplicity or chaos. I want to make huge changes quickly, but that is not as feasible as I'd like. So, I will commit to do several smaller things each month, adding to the previous month's activities (I know, a strange word when speaking of simplifying!).
To start, I will commit to doing the following things through the month of June (since it's almost the end of May).
1. Eat at home or take my meals with me unless the meal is provided by someone else. (With the exception of 1 meal a week--I eat with a great group of ladies every Wednesday for lunch....the fellowship is worth the meal out!)
2. I will recycle what I can because in doing so I will be more conscious of what I buy and what I get.
3. I declare June "No-Buy Month" except for one grocery trip and the meals previously mentioned.
These things will help me to be a better manager of my resources and time. Let the simplicity begin.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
The heart of God....
Tonight in small groups we talked about evangelism. Sharing our faith with others. The definition given: having a heart for people like God's. Wow. What a definition.
Our normal Western idea of evangelism is handing someone a track about Jesus, reading verses from Romans that tell how we are all sinners but can be saved, sharing how God has changed our lives. We usually think of it as a thing we do where we give our "testimony" to someone who does not know about the gospel. We tend to treat those who do not "know" as lesser than us. We treat them as many people have been treated by missionaries in past days. We often want to feel like we (believers) are superior to others because of our faith commitment. How does that reflect the heart of God? It doesn't.
When we begin to look at people (the man to the right, the kid down the street, the woman in the nursing home) the way God sees them, we will share His love and good news with them. When we see the world through the eyes of God, we will love the world. We will love the unlovable, the untouchable, the least of these. We will not try to "convert" the masses in order to add to our church roles. Instead, we will truly want to walk with them as we seek to be disciples together. We will walk hand in hand rather than holding a position over one another.
Evangelism is having a heart for people like God's heart for people. How is your heart?
Grace and peace.
Our normal Western idea of evangelism is handing someone a track about Jesus, reading verses from Romans that tell how we are all sinners but can be saved, sharing how God has changed our lives. We usually think of it as a thing we do where we give our "testimony" to someone who does not know about the gospel. We tend to treat those who do not "know" as lesser than us. We treat them as many people have been treated by missionaries in past days. We often want to feel like we (believers) are superior to others because of our faith commitment. How does that reflect the heart of God? It doesn't.
When we begin to look at people (the man to the right, the kid down the street, the woman in the nursing home) the way God sees them, we will share His love and good news with them. When we see the world through the eyes of God, we will love the world. We will love the unlovable, the untouchable, the least of these. We will not try to "convert" the masses in order to add to our church roles. Instead, we will truly want to walk with them as we seek to be disciples together. We will walk hand in hand rather than holding a position over one another.
Evangelism is having a heart for people like God's heart for people. How is your heart?
Grace and peace.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The mission continues.....
Today I watched two of my best friends resign from their ministry position effective at the end of the summer. It was hard to watch and yet exciting because God is leading them in a new direction. In times of change it is easy to try to figure out why and what is next. It is easy to be angry or hurt or sad when change comes in a church setting. It is easy to forget that the message and mission continues even when individuals move on to a different role in that mission.
We see the same picture in the transition from Moses' leadership to Joshua's leading. The Israelites had placed a great deal of trust in Moses. He had encouraged them to leave Egypt when Pharaoh was oppressive. In fact, he led them out himself. (Exodus 12-14) He led them to the desert and then God used him to provide food and water. (Exodus 15-17) He led them to the edge of the Promised Land. (Deuteronomy 1-2) They disobeyed God by not continuing on into the Promised Land, so they wandered in the desert for 40 years. (Deuteronomy 2) Then, Moses dies. (Deuteronomy 34)
Before he died, Moses passed on his mission and role to Joshua. God has appointed Joshua to continue with the mission that Moses began. The Lord spoke to Joshua in chapter 1. He told Joshua that he would cross the Jordan River and would give him and the people every place he had promised to Moses. God promised to be with Joshua just as he was with Moses.
In this part of Scripture we see that even though Moses died and his part of the mission ended, God prepared Joshua to take the reigns and lead on. Just as with days of old, God continues to provide leaders to step up and continue to the work started by others. We never minister alone. Our ministries are impacted by those who have come before us. Our ministries impact those who come behind us.
As the song says,
Grace and peace to you.
We see the same picture in the transition from Moses' leadership to Joshua's leading. The Israelites had placed a great deal of trust in Moses. He had encouraged them to leave Egypt when Pharaoh was oppressive. In fact, he led them out himself. (Exodus 12-14) He led them to the desert and then God used him to provide food and water. (Exodus 15-17) He led them to the edge of the Promised Land. (Deuteronomy 1-2) They disobeyed God by not continuing on into the Promised Land, so they wandered in the desert for 40 years. (Deuteronomy 2) Then, Moses dies. (Deuteronomy 34)
Before he died, Moses passed on his mission and role to Joshua. God has appointed Joshua to continue with the mission that Moses began. The Lord spoke to Joshua in chapter 1. He told Joshua that he would cross the Jordan River and would give him and the people every place he had promised to Moses. God promised to be with Joshua just as he was with Moses.
In this part of Scripture we see that even though Moses died and his part of the mission ended, God prepared Joshua to take the reigns and lead on. Just as with days of old, God continues to provide leaders to step up and continue to the work started by others. We never minister alone. Our ministries are impacted by those who have come before us. Our ministries impact those who come behind us.
As the song says,
"Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful,As times change and people move to and fro, may we remember that God's mission is not dependent upon our work alone. We are in this grand mission of the ages together.
May the fire of our devotion light their way,
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe,
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful."
Grace and peace to you.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Life Update
Things have been a bit crazy around here lately. Finals have come and gone....over 60 pages turned in between three classes. Chip has been super sick with some kind of sinus/strep stuff. Mom and Dad are coming tomorrow for Chips graduation Monday night, which he may or may not be able to attend.
So, I've been playing nurse and maid the last few days. And it's been a job!
It's been a job because I don't do nurse duty well. I don't have tons of patience and I want to do what I want to do, which does not usually mean taking care of sickly people. In addition, I don't deep clean my house often. So, when the parents come, I have to spend several days vacuuming, dusting and making sure everything is where it belongs. It would be so much easier if I would do a little bit more often.
That's how my spiritual life is a lot of the time. I go for long periods without a good, deep cleaning or examination. Life just goes and goes and goes okay for a while. Then, I begin to notice things are going as smoothly. I am less patient. I am angry more often about more things, most of which are really insignificant. I am bitter more often. I am frustrated more.
If I would just take some time on a regular (say, weekly or even DAILY) to really examine my spiritual life, to really dig into who I am and where God is leading, these moments of completely crashing and getting stuck with sickness and stinky-ness would not come as much..nor would they be as bad.
Where are you? Are you in need of some cleaning and medicine? Are you seeking fully? Are you spending time evaluating your life? Am I?
So, I've been playing nurse and maid the last few days. And it's been a job!
It's been a job because I don't do nurse duty well. I don't have tons of patience and I want to do what I want to do, which does not usually mean taking care of sickly people. In addition, I don't deep clean my house often. So, when the parents come, I have to spend several days vacuuming, dusting and making sure everything is where it belongs. It would be so much easier if I would do a little bit more often.
That's how my spiritual life is a lot of the time. I go for long periods without a good, deep cleaning or examination. Life just goes and goes and goes okay for a while. Then, I begin to notice things are going as smoothly. I am less patient. I am angry more often about more things, most of which are really insignificant. I am bitter more often. I am frustrated more.
If I would just take some time on a regular (say, weekly or even DAILY) to really examine my spiritual life, to really dig into who I am and where God is leading, these moments of completely crashing and getting stuck with sickness and stinky-ness would not come as much..nor would they be as bad.
Where are you? Are you in need of some cleaning and medicine? Are you seeking fully? Are you spending time evaluating your life? Am I?
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