The Next in Line

On December 12, I received my Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The occasion was sweetened by my family's presence at the graduation ceremony. My wife and our three youngest sons, as well as my dad and youngest brother, were able to make the trip to Louisville, Kentucky, for this special day.

The commencement exercises took place in Alumni Chapel, which was beautifully decorated for Christmas. The ninety-minute program was really a worship service that consisted of Scripture reading from both the Old and New Testaments, several Christmas hymns, meaningful prayers, and a timely commencement address from seminary president R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

But my favorite part of the ceremony was "The Graduation Pledge" that took place after the conferring of the degrees, the presentation of the diplomas, and the declaration of graduation. As the graduates recited the pledge in unison, we were reminded that our commencement came with a commitment. As I read the following words aloud, my eyes moistened with tears, and a lump formed in my throat.

As graduates of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, we hereby declare to the watching world that we are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ who are called to ministry and service by the power of the Holy Spirit. By grace we have been saved, and by grace we have been called into the service of our Lord and of his Christ. On this day of graduation and commencement, with gladness we join that long line of faithful servants who have gone before us. With gratitude we have received the privilege of theological education.We are now stewards of a priceless inheritance and servants of a church that has been fed by generations of pastors and shepherds, planted by missionaries, served by those who labored in obscurity, and watered by the blood of martyrs. We now take up our charge and eagerly take our place. We stand on the truth of God's Word, on the power of the Gospel, and on the faith once for all delivered to the saints. We will minister in fidelity and in the purity of the Gospel, letting no harm come to the church by our hands, no injury by our tongues, and no hindrance to the Kingdom by our lives. We are unashamed of the Gospel, determined to serve wherever God may call us, knowing that by the power of the resurrected Christ, our labor is not in vain.  We are heralds of the good news, stewards of the mysteries of God, and torchbearers to the nations. We are soldiers of Christ, arrayed in truth, and we commit the length of our days to the service of our Savior. We are graduates of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. By God's grace, we are the next in line.

How can a pastor read those words and not feel overwhelmed by the solemnity of the call to ministry, the joy of serving Christ, and the weight of responsibility that comes with such a privilege? I find myself crying out with the apostle Paul, "Who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. 2:16). Then I immediately respond, as Paul did, "Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.... But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Cor. 3:4-5; 4:7).

Yes, by God's grace, we are the next in line. As I think about the implications of such a standing, my hope is best expressed by Jon Mohr's hymn that Christian recording artist Steve Green sang years ago:

O may all who come behind us find us faithful;

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.

O may all who come behind us find us faithful!

Mary's Saturated Mind

Saturated

[sach-uh-rey-tid]

soaked, impregnated, or imbued thoroughly; charged thoroughly or completely; brought to a state of saturation.

One of the most formidable challenges of biblical preaching is to condense 20+ hours of study material into a 40-minute sermon. Do the math. That’s a one-minute summary for every 30 minutes of study. This being the case, there is always more I want to say in the course of a sermon but can’t, due to time constraints. 

While preaching through Mary’s song of praise (Magnificat) in Luke 1:46-55, I noticed something that I didn’t share in my sermon, and that was this: Mary’s prayer is replete with Scripture.  While commentators are quick to point out similarities between Mary’s prayer and that of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:1-10, most of them neglect to point out other Scripture passages that Mary utilized.  Here is a comparison of Mary's Magnificat with other Scripture passages, as noted by William Hendriksen in his commentary:

• Luke 1:46-47 with Ps. 103:1
• Luke 1:48 with 1 Sam. 1:11
• Luke 1:49 with Ps. 22:3; 71:22; 89:18; 99:3; 103:1
• Luke 1:50 with Ps. 103:17
• Luke 1:51 with Ps. 44:3; 98:1; Isa. 53:1; Ps. 89:10; Job 12:19
• Luke 1:52 with 2 Sam. 22:28; 22:18; Job 5:11
• Luke 1:53 with Ps. 103:5; 107:9
• Luke 1:54 with Ps. 98:3; 147:2, 19; 25:6; 98:3; 136 (second part of each verse)
• Luke 1:55 with Gen. 12:2-3; 17:7; 22:15-18; Exod. 2:24; 2 Sam. 22:51; Ps. 105:6-10; Micah 7:20

Hendricksen notes, "The system of education in Israel was such that from early childhood children were taught 'the sacred writings' (II Tim. 3:15)." Because Mary's mind was saturated with Scripture, it was natural for her to express her praise in biblical language.

Both the Old Testament and New Testament make it clear that the person who meditates on God's Word day and night is blessed as he believes and obeys it (Ps. 1; John 13:17; James 1:25).  Parents have the privilege and responsibility to teach the Scriptures diligently to their children (Deut. 6:5-9; cf. Eph. 6:4). 

How are we doing when it comes to knowing God's Word? Are our minds saturated with Scripture? What about the minds of our children?

As I was wrapping up my study of Mary's Magnificat and thinking along these lines, I took part in a weekend consultation seminar on Christian education. I was reminded of the invaluable role that Christian education plays in the discipleship ministry of the church. The mission statement of our own Christian school is to "assist parents in their God-given responsibility to provide a Christ-centered education for their children that meets or exceeds standard of academic excellence." 

What a glorious mission! I pray that our students would graduate with minds saturated with the truth of God and a heart committed to serving him. Just like Mary. 

After I preached on Mary's Magnificat, a member of our music team sent me the following song which is based almost word-for-word on the text (Luke 1:46-55). You can ignore the video graphics. Simply close your eyes, listen, and lift your heart to the Lord. May our minds and hearts be increasingly saturated with his truth. May God's own words be the language of our praise.

Gospel Interrupted

Coincidence? No, Not a chance.

Singular Passion

A week and a half ago, Billy Graham turned 96.  I once had the privilege of meeting Billy Graham in a the home of a mutual friend back in 1999. It was one of the unexpected highlights of my life. My father came to Christ upon hearing one of Billy Graham's sermons, as did my dad's older brother, who later founded the Pioneers missions organization.  

Way back in 1957 at the Urbana missions conference, Dr. Graham preached on the nature of true commitment to Jesus Christ.  That was the theme of my sermon on Philippians 3:12-21 this past Lord's Day.  I had wanted to share the following illustration during my sermon, but I was running short on time so decided to share this story on my blog instead.

During his 1957 Urbana address, Billy Graham pulled out a copy of a letter that the pastor of the Presbyterian church in his hometown had given him.  The letter was written by a university student after he had gone to Mexico and become a Communist.  He wrote to his fiancée, breaking off their engagement.  Here is part of what he said:

We Communists have a high casualty rate. We're the ones who get shot and hung and lynched and tarred and feathered and jailed and slandered, and ridiculed 
and fired from our jobs, and in every other way made as uncomfortable as possible. 
A certain percentage of us get killed or imprisoned. We live in virtual poverty. 
We turn back to the party every penny we make above what is absolutely necessary
to keep us alive. 
We Communists don't have the time or the money for many movies, or concerts, 
or T-bone steaks, or decent homes and new cars. We've been described as fanatics. 
We are fanatics. Our lives are dominated by one great overshadowing factor, 
THE STRUGGLE FOR WORLD COMMUNISM.



We Communists have a philosophy of life which no amount of money could buy. We have a cause to fight for, a definite purpose in life. We subordinate 
our petty personal selves into a great movement of humanity, and if our personal lives seem hard, or our egos appear to suffer through subordination to the 
party, then we are adequately compensated by the thought that each of us in
his small way is contributing to something new and true and better for mankind.  There is one thing in which I am dead earnest and that is the Communist cause. It is my life, my business, my religion, my hobby, my sweetheart, my wife and mistress, my bread and meat. I work at it in the daytime and dream 
of it at night. Its hold on me grows, not lessens as time goes on. Therefore I cannot carry on a friend-ship, a love affair, or even a conversation without 
relating to this force which both drives and guides my life.  I evaluate people,
books, ideas and actions according to how they effect the Communist cause
and by their attitude toward it.  I've already been in jail because of my ideas
and if necessary, I'm ready to go before a firing squad.

If someone could be so radically committed to such a flawed political system such as Communism, how much more should Christians be committed to the King of kings and Lord of lords, whose "kingdom is one that will never be destroyed" (Daniel 7:14)? Indeed, Jesus himself declared, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matt. 16:24). C.T. Studd understood the implications of Jesus' call to discipleship, stating, "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."

What are the implications of Jesus' call for your life?  What sacrifice are you willing to make for Him?

Thoughts about Brittany Maynard

Last Saturday, Brittany Maynard ended her life at the age of 29. She did so six months after being diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive malignant brain tumor. Brittany had decided her death date ahead of time, appointing November 1 as the day that she would end her life.  In June, Brittany moved to Oregon with her husband and other family members so that she could take advantage of the state's Death with Dignity Act. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE last month, Brittany declared,

My glioblastoma is going to kill me and that's out of my control. I've discussed with many experts how I would die from it, and it's a terrible, terrible, way to die. So being able to choose to go with dignity is less terrifying.

Brittany died on November 1 by taking a fatal dose of barbiturates as prescribed by her physician. Her farewell message was posted on Facebook:

Goodbye to all my dear friends and family that I love. Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness, this terrible brain cancer that has taken so much from me ... but would have taken so much more. The world is a beautiful place, travel has been my greatest teacher, my close friends and folks are the greatest givers. I even have a ring of support around my bed as I type ... Goodbye world. Spread good energy. Pay it forward!

Several Christian friends of mine on social media affirmed, and even applauded, Brittany's decision to end her life. This troubled me, and I think for good reason.

Before explaining why, let me express my own sympathy for Brittany and her family. In October of 2005 I conducted a funeral for a 14-year-old boy in our congregation who died of a malignant brain tumor. I walked with him and his family through that valley of suffering and heartache. I can assure you it made a profound impression on me. My heart is truly saddened over this terrible crisis Brittany and her family has had to endure over these last six months.

Still, I am concerned that many Christians have showed their support for Brittany's act of suicide. That's what it was, despite Brittany's claim to the contrary: "For people to argue against this choice for sick people really seems evil to me," she told PEOPLE. "They try to mix it up with suicide and that's really unfair, because there's not a single part of me that wants to die. But I am dying." Yes, we all are. Some are simply dying more quickly than others. Suicide is, by definition, the act of intentionally killing oneself, and that is precisely what Brittany did, with the help of her physician.

Arguments for the right-to-die movement are usually based on cases of terminal illness in which the pain is presumably intolerable and beyond the range of medical relief. But several medical options exist for adequate pain control (e.g. analgesics, nerve-blocking) without too much sedation or other undesirable side effects.

But the bigger issue is what Scripture itself teaches about the sanctity of life and the sovereign purpose of God. On these matters John Jefferson Davis provides some very helpful insights in his book Evangelical Ethics. The following quote is lengthy but speaks to an even broader context than Brittany Maynard's situation and is well worth taking the time to read carefully and reflectively:

From the perspective of the Judeo-Christian tradition, euthanasia violates the commandment "You shall not murder" (Ex. 20:13, NIV). The taking of human life--for whatever motives--is strictly forbidden in Scripture, except in those very narrowly defined circumstances such as justifiable war, self-defense, and capital punishment. Societies that have gone beyond these narrow exceptions have opened the door to unintended but tragic levels of bloodshed and violence. 

Human life is sacred because God made man in his own image and likeness (Gen. 1:26-27). This canopy of sacredness extends throughout man's life, and is not simply limited to those times and circumstances when man happens to be strong, independent, healthy, and fully conscious of his relationships to others. God is actively at work in the womb, for example (Ps. 139:13-16; Job 10:8-13), long before the human being can exercise the mental functions that secular humanists tend to see as the key criteria of value for human personality. The same God who lovingly is present in the womb can be present in the dying and comatose patient, for whom conscious human relationships are broken. The body of the dying can still be a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19), and hence sacred to God. 

The euthanasia mentality sees man as the lord of his own life; the Christian sees human life as a gift from God, to be held in trusteeship throughout man's life on earth. "You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:19b-20). Determining the moment of death is God's prerogative, not man's (Job 14:5). Man does not choose his own death, but acquiesces in the will of the heavenly Father, knowing that for the believer, death is both the last enemy and the doorway to eternal life. Because man bears the image of God, his life is sacred in every state of its existence, in sickness or in health, in the womb, in infancy, in adolescence, in maturity, in old age, or even in the process of dying itself. Among a society all too often characterized by the choosing of death and violence, Christians are to be shining lights to a world of darkness, who choose life for themselves and for others--offering to the dying patient not deadly poisons, but rather neighbor love and the hope of life eternal.

Earlier in this article I mentioned a 14-year-old boy in my church who died of a malignant brain tumor. On the front of the funeral program was his picture and these words from 2 Timothy 4:7:

I have fought the good fight,

I have finished the race,

I have kept the faith.

That's dying with dignity.

Teaching Children About Repentance

In my last blog post, I wrote about Kids and Communion. That following Sunday, in God's providence, we had two children in our congregation pray to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. In both cases, they prayed to receive Christ after asking and learning about the elements of communion (the bread and the cup).

This past Sunday, we got word from our Children's Ministries Director that six more children indicated their desire to receive Christ following the Bible lesson on repentance.  We use Generations of Grace, which is a biblically based and God-centered curriculum designed for children three years old through the sixth grade.  The GoG motto is "Teaching the whole counsel of God to the next generation." Over a three-year period, this curriculum covers the Old Testament historical books, the life of Christ, and lessons from Acts and Revelation.

One of the features our teachers love about this teaching material is the flexibility it affords. When asked how he taught the children about repentance, the children's teacher for this past Sunday replied,

The curriculum really lent itself to an altar call. It's not something I would do regularly but it seemed to fit in with the message which was based on Matthew 3:1-12, the preaching of John the Baptist. We started by reviewing the previous lessons about the birth of Christ and I pointed out how amazing it was that Christ would leave the perfection of heaven to live in a place like this with sadness, sickness, pain and death.  But that he did it because of his love for us.   

Then we talked about how John was sent to prepare the hearts of the people for the coming of Jesus. His only method of preparation being one of repentance. I illustrated repentance by having my daughter Ellie walk away from me (life of sin) and then when I said "repent" she would turn and run back into my arms. I emphasized that God was always willing and ready to embrace every repentant sinner. I then explained (in costume as John including live crickets) that by his manner of life John set himself apart from the religious elite of the day as he pointed people to confession and repentance.   

We talked about how the Pharisees demonstrated a false repentance. I illustrated this by reading them a book which on the cover looked like the story of The Little Three Pigs, but when I started reading it they immediately recognized it as The Three Billy Goats Gruff. I made the point that God is most concerned with what's on the inside. I also had my kids come up and asked them if the fact that I was a doctor made my children doctors as well. In the same way we cannot rely on our parents' faith for salvation as the Pharisees were doing.   

Finally we looked at verses 11-12 which describe Jesus' baptism with the Holy Spirit or with fire. I told them that this referred to salvation and judgment and that the ONLY way to escape the coming wrath was to turn from their sins in repentance and place their faith in Jesus. I then asked if their was anyone who had never actually done this for themselves. Several kids raised their hands. I told them if they wanted to repent now to not be afraid and come forward. Six children came forward and with them gathered around me I thanked the Lord for their repentance and faith.  [My wife] Cheryl followed up with the parents, giving them a booklet describing the plan of salvation.

Praise God for parents and teachers who faithfully teach the Word of God to children. I think this is a classic illustration of the maxim that the more you put into something, the more you'll get out of it. Yes, God is the one who gives the growth (1 Cor. 3:7), but he delights to honor those "those who labor in preaching and teaching" (1 Tim. 5:17; cf. Psalm 126:6).

Kids and Communion

Years ago when our children were young, my wife was sitting with them in the pew while I as pastor led our church family in communion (a.k.a. the Lord's Supper). Afterwards my wife told me that our son, a pre-schooler at the time, got all upset because his older sister got to have a "snack" during the service, but he didn't.

Probably every Christian parent has experienced a similar incident at some point in a church service. This raises the question, When is it appropriate for children to participate in communion, that is, to partake of the bread and cup? 

Because I have an affinity for acronyms, I am going to use them as a tool in addressing the above question. The first answer, represented by the word "CUP," represents our church's "official" stance on the issue. Children may, at the discretion of their parents, participate in communion when they have met the following criteria:

Conversion 

They are able to articulate the gospel and give a credible profession of faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Understanding

They understand the meaning of communion, i.e. the significance of the bread and the cup.

Personal Commitment 

They are intentional about confessing sin and obeying the Lord.

When these basic conditions are met, children are allowed to participate in the Lord's Supper, so far as the church leadership is concerned.

However, I'd also like to share some additional thoughts on a personal level. This is based on my own experience as a parent and as a pastor for the last 23 years. Other good and godly parents may disagree on some points, which is fine.  I simply want to provide some food for thought.

If I had the opportunity to go back and do it all over again, I would have established a little more stringent criteria for my own children. These criteria, represented by the acronym "BREAD," are what I would encourage parents to consider as guidelines for their own children:

Baptism

Jesus commanded all his followers to be baptized as a public profession of their faith in him as Lord and Savior. Since the ordinance of baptism is no more difficult to understand than the Lord's Supper, it makes sense to have a child participate in communion only after he or she has obeyed the Lord by being baptized.

Respect

Scripture says, "whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:27). Communion is not to be taken lightly and must be treated with respect. Waiting to have our children partake of communion until they can do so reverently shows wisdom on our part as parents.

Examination

Self-examination is a key part of communion. Failure to do so results in discipline (see 1 Cor. 11:27-32). We want to make sure that our children are mature enough to conduct an honest examination of themselves. 

Appreciation

As our children comprehend the significance of the Lord's Supper and undergo appropriate self-examination, they are better able to appreciate afresh the atoning sacrifice Jesus made for them. In this way they are able to celebrate the feast with sincerity and truth with the family of God (1 Cor. 5:8; 11:33).

Devotion

How do we know if our young children are truly devoted to Christ or simply wanting to please their mommy and daddy? Discerning this can be difficult, even for the best of parents. Once our children head into their teenage years, however, they begin to think and act more independently. Their level of commitment to Christ is often easier to discern at this stage in their life than during their pre-teen years. 

Much more could be written on this subject, but I hope these brief considerations will help you to disciple your children in a manner that seems most pleasing to the Lord. Even if your child is not yet ready to partake of the bread and cup, the communion service provides a wonderful teaching opportunity for us as parents to share with our children the gospel of Jesus Christ and the beautiful significance of communion. The same goes for baptism.

In closing, consider the words of the 19th century bishop, J. C. Ryle:

Are we in the habit of coming to the Lord's table? If so, in what frame of mind do we come? Do we draw near intelligently, humbly, and with faith? Do we understand what we are doing? Do we really feel our sinfulness and need for Christ? Do we really desire to live a Christian life, as well as profess the Christian faith? Happy is the soul who can give a satisfactory answer to these questions. Let him go forward, and persevere.

May God help us as parents to put these questions first to ourselves, then to our children.

Practical Tips on How to Encourage Others

The other day my wife Ruthie and I were talking about our struggles against sin. In the course of our conversation, Ruthie came up with a helpful analogy. She said it's like pushing a shopping cart with a defective wheel.  Naturally it pulls to one side, and you have to force it to go straight. Likewise, our bodies have a natural bent toward sin. Unless we purposely steer them in the right direction by the power of the Holy Spirit, they will veer off in the wrong direction.

This principle is never more true than when it comes to our tongue. Our natural tendency is not to encourage but to criticize, argue, and complain.

Yet Scripture explicitly says, "Do all things without complaining and arguing" (Phil. 2:14). Rather, the Bible tells us to "encourage one another and build each other up" (1 Thes. 5:11). Doing this requires deliberate effort on our part. What specific measures can we take to make this happen? Garrett Kell, Lead Pastor of Del Ray Baptist Church in Virginia, offers some helpful suggestions, which I have reprinted below. (For the original article, click here.)

HOW DO I GROW IN BEING AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO OTHERS?

There isn’t only one “right way” to encourage each other, but here are a few ideas to help you get started.

1.    Pray for God to make you an encourager. Ask him to give you a heart that loves others and creativity to know how to show it. Ask him to help you die to self-centeredness and grow in a desire to build others up. Because God delights in helping his people obey his commands, we can trust that his Spirit will teach us how to bless others for his glory and their spiritual good.

2.    Study Barnabas and ask God to make you like him. Barnabas was nicknamed the “son of encouragement” by the early church (Acts 4:36). He was the kind of guy you wanted to have around as you were serving the Lord. He wasn’t just a spiritual cheerleader, but he was a man of great conviction who wanted to see the church flourish and did all he could to make it happen. Ask God to give you and your church a heart like Barnabas.

3.    Make encouragement a daily discipline. For some of us encouragement comes naturally, for others, not so much. I have a reminder in my calendar each day to send someone an encouraging note, email, text, or phone call. I need this reminder to pause, pray, and then intentionally try to spur someone on in Christ.

4.    Pray for God to show you who to encourage. Ask God to bring someone to mind that you should reach out to. One way to do this is by praying through your church’s membership directory. Check out this article to learn more about that.

5.    Use Scripture if you’re able. Nothing encourages us like promises from God’s Word. Make a list of Scriptures that God has used to bless you personally or an excerpt from something you read in your daily devotional. Mine the Psalms, Romans 8, and the Gospels. Find and share riches of God’s grace with others.

6.    Be specific in what you say. The note I received from my friend included two very specific ways he had seen evidences of grace in my life. When I read them, I was humbled and reminded of the fact that God does actually work in and though me. I needed that.

7.    Regularly encourage your pastor. If your pastor says something that God uses, tell him about it. Don’t expect him to write you back, but just send a few lines in a card or an email. Nothing encourages a pastor like hearing specific ways God used a sermon or counseling session to work in your life.

8.    Pray that God would create a culture of encouragement in your church. Ask God to make your church a community that loves each other in specific, tangible ways like encouragement. Ask God to use you to help fan that flame. Don’t get discouraged if people don’t return your encouragement (Matt. 6:3-4; Eph. 6:3-8) or if you don’t see fruit from it (Gal. 6:9-10). Creating a church culture that glorifies God takes a long time, lots of prayer, and abundant grace. I encourage you to keep at it.

9.    Be wise. If you want to encourage someone of the opposite sex, use discernment in how best to do it. If I’m going to encourage a single sister in the congregation, I will tell my wife and copy her on the email. If I were encouraging a married sister, I would again tell my wife and copy her and the husband of the person I’m encouraging. You can also use that as an opportunity to encourage both the husband and wife.

10. Get started. Who can you encourage right now? Who has blessed you recently that you can thank? What verse can you share with them? How might God use it?

May the Lord do more than we can imagine through just a little encouragement (Ephesians 3:20-21).