Dr. Don Whitney, who used to be one of my professors at Midwestern, and is now a professor at Southern was the topic of an article that was published today over at Baptist Press. Actually it would be more accurate to say that a recent message on the topic of Church Discipline. I was just speaking yesterday with a group of area pastors about the need to be more faithful in implementing church discipline in the local church. We worked hard for a number of years at my last church to implement discipline and thankfully it was already part of our dna here at Frederick when I got here. I am convinced that the American church is need of many things. We need more consistent evangelism, discipleship, worship and fellowship. We need more effective pastors and more committed laypersons. What I think we need more than anything, however, is repentance. As pastors we have an obligation to lead our people to treat sin as serious and the biblical practice of Church Discipline is a necessary ingredient.

I would really encourage you to read the article. You can find it by clicking here.

I spoke yesterday on the Laodicean Church in Revelation 3. I closed the message by quoting Francis Chan, of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA. Chan has offered 18 signs that you are a lukewarm Christian. I thought they were powerful enough that I would reproduce them here. Be warned, however, that they can be very convicting.

1. Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly.  It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do, so they go. Isaiah 29:13

2. Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living.  If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so, After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? 1 Chronicles 21:24, Luke 21:1-4

3. Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict.  They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. Luke 6:26, Revelation 3:1, Matthew 23:5-7

4. Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin.  They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them.  Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one. John 10:10, Romans 6:1-2

5. Lukewarm people are moved by stories of people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act.  They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones.  Lukewarm people call “radical” what Jesus expected of all His followers. James 1:22, James 4:17, Matthew 21:28-31

6. Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends.  They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion. Matthew 10:32-33

7. Lukewarm people gauge their morality or “goodness” by comparing themselves to the secular world.  They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street. Luke 18:11-12

8. Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives, their money, and their thoughts, but he isn’t allowed to control their lives. Luke 9:57-62

9. Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him all their heart, soul, and strength.  They would be quick to assure you they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; its only for pastors and missionaries and radicals. Matthew 22:37-38

10. Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves.  Their love for others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with.  There is a little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, who kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable.  Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached. Matthew 5:43-47, Luke 14:12-14

11. Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give. Luke 18:21-25

12. Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven.  Daily life is mostly focused on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule, and next month’s vacation.  Rarely, if ever do they intently consider the life to come. Philippians 3:18-20

13. Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. Matthew 25:34, 40, Isaiah 58:6-7

14. Lukewarm people do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty.  They want to do the bare minimum, to be “good enough” without requiring too much of them. 1 Chronicles 29:14, Matthew 13:44-46

15. Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control.  This focus on safe living keeps them sacrificing and risking for God. Matthew 10:28

16. Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America.

17. Luke warm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to.  They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens-they have their savings account.  They don’t need God to help them—they have their retirement plan in place.  They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live—they have life figured and mapped out.  They don’t depend on God on a daily basis-their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health.  The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God. Luke 12:16-21

18. Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever.  They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Matthew 23:25-28, Luke 14:34-35

Thanks to Don Brown who pointed me to the quote.

I just received the following press release from LifeWay Research and I thought it was important enough to put it up for you to read. It’s interesting to me how significant our words are. In light of the Pew research that was released earlier this week, this article does a good job of explaining why the results though technically accurate, do not necessarily communicate what the researchers intended for it to communicate.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2008

CONTACT:
Chris Turner, Media Relations Manager
chris.turner@lifeway.com
(615) 251-2307

Are Evangelicals Really Universalists

By Chris Turner

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In the second major release from their U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, the Pew Forum states that “70 percent of Americans with a religious affiliation say that many religions – not just their own – can lead to eternal life.” The detailed findings (available at: http://religions.pewforum.org/reports) indicate that 57 percent of those attending evangelical churches also agree that many religions can lead to eternal life. Only 36 percent chose the alternative, “My religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life.”

However, some have expressed concerns about the way the question was asked. “The Pew Forum accurately reported the question they asked and accurately reported the responses they received, but I do not think that led to an accurate portrayal of evangelicals,” said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research, the research arm of LifeWay Christian Resources.

Terry Mattingly of the Scripps Howard News Service and the GetReligion.org blog wrote, “I am being a bit picky here, but I suspect that if you asked a lot of people that Pew Forum question today, they would think of the great world religions. But many Christians would think more narrowly than that. Not all. Not many, perhaps. But some. What is your religion? I’m a Baptist, a Nazarene, an Episcopalian, a Catholic. Can people outside of your religion be saved? Of course. This is not the same thing, for many, as saying that they believe that salvation is found outside faith in Jesus Christ.”

“I believe the Pew study is directionally right in pointing out that a surprisingly small number of self-identified American Christians believe in the exclusivity of Christ as a means of salvation, and therefore, getting into heaven,” explained Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research.

“But the way they worded their question may have had some impact; many people think of ‘denomination’ when they hear ‘religion,’ so it isn’t that surprising that a Lutheran could think a Methodist would also go to heaven or a Catholic could think that a Protestant would go to heaven,” said McConnell.

Stetzer cautioned, “When we define evangelicals as not just those who sit in pews but who agree with certain evangelical beliefs, we find a different picture than was widely reported in the news about the recent Pew study.”

LifeWay Research has been studying the practices and beliefs of hundreds of Protestant churchgoers in a longitudinal multiyear study and recently asked questions which did not just indicate “religion” but indicated “religions other than Christianity.”

In this study, which will be featured in The Shape of Faith to Come, a fall 2008 book by B&H Publishing Group Vice President Brad Waggoner, LifeWay Research asked 2,500 Protestant adults who attend church at least once a month, “How much do you agree/disagree: If a person is sincerely seeking God, he/she can obtain eternal life through religions other than Christianity.”

When answering questions about “other than Christianity” rather than “other religions,” the answers may change. In total, 31 percent of Protestant churchgoers agreed (strongly or somewhat) with this universalistic statement compared to Pew’s 70 percent. This makes for a difference of 39 percent between the universalism in the LifeWay Research study and the Pew Study.

“LifeWay Research utilized a five-point scale, in which 28 percent of Protestant churchgoers neither agreed nor disagreed with the universalistic statement. Assuming that all the ‘neither agree nor disagree’ would move to the universalist side when forced to choose (a doubtful assumption), the difference is still 10 percent,” Stetzer noted, pointing out that the questions were not identically worded and a direct comparison was not possible.

Forty percent of these Protestant churchgoers disagreed (strongly or somewhat) that eternal life can be obtained through religions other than Christianity. When “evangelical” is defined by beliefs (using the combination of nine evangelical definition questions from The Barna Group) rather than which church is attended, 8 out of 10 evangelicals reject this universalistic statement.

Rejection of the universalistic statement in the LifeWay Research study by disagreeing strongly or somewhat are shown in the following percentages:

– 80 percent of those who indicate evangelical beliefs

– 61 percent of born-again Christians

– 49 percent who say they attend an evangelical church

– 27 percent of those who do not indicate evangelical beliefs

The LifeWay Research study used a five-point scale and the requirement of minimal church attendance which makes direct comparisons to Pew’s data difficult as they used an “either/or” question and only required affiliation. However, Stetzer explained, “There is enough of a difference in the results for me to conclude that their choice of wording likely led a number of folks away from the exclusive response.”

“The Pew study accurately pointed to a growing problem. The shape of faith to come is in some ways discouraging. Christians are becoming more universalistic and lack biblical views on a host of other issues,” Waggoner explained.

“The Pew research is helpful even though this question needs clarification. However, the bigger issue here is why there are so many self-identified evangelicals who sit in evangelical pews but do not evidence evangelical beliefs, particularly in regard to universalism,” Stetzer said.

More information and graphics can be found at www.lifewayresearch.com.

Drs Danny Akin and Al Mohler have worked together to provide for us a wonderful resource that deals biblically with the topic of infant salvation. If you haven’t studied the topic before I would recommend that you do so now. When one loses an infant to death you will be ill equipped in that moment of extreme emotionalism to adequately research and understand the implications of infant salvation. This is a topic that you need to have a strong understanding of before that event occurs so that you can confidently answer questions and provide loving hope.

We owe a debt of gratitude to these men for this resource.

You can access the article here.

A few weeks ago I was offered the opportunity to be a part of Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation’s blog tour as they share with others about their new book, Compelled by Love. These guys generously offered to send me a copy of the book to review, which I was more than excited to do. After reading the book, however, I am even more excited about the book.

This book is fascinating in that it looks at missional living from a different perspective than I have seen, that is through the eyes of love. Missional has really become the cool catch phrase of the year with many people assigning their own definitions to the word and, unfortunately, the result has been something of a diluted definition that becomes almost benign, at times, because of its ambiguity. Stetzer and Nation, however, seem to have a very clear picture in mind when it comes to the concept of missional living and this book helps provide a foundation for the application of missional life. By providing what they believe is the foundation to missional thinking Stetzer and Nation help to justify not only the priority of missional as important, but even more than that, they help affirm that is is non-negotiable. Stetzer and Nation’s work is a significant addition to the literary world. I would strongly recommend that you get a copy.

Stetzer and Nation answered a few questions for us about the book. They help shed some light on the book itself. They did this through both a written interview and an audio interview. You can find both interviews below. I appreciate their willingness to invest this time to help us understand the significance of this concept. You also should run by and take a look at the website for the book. You can find it by clicking here.

_______________________________________________________________
Click on the audio player to hear the interview with Dr. Stetzer

[audio:http://www.micahfries.com/audio/Stetzer Interview.mp3]
_______________________________________________________________

1. Ed, you write often about contextualization. Why do you write a book about love and how does love contribute to biblical contextualization?

Ed: Without love, contextualization becomes nothing more than manipulation. Love makes contextualization a personal activity rather than a spiritual experiment.

2. In the book you share that defining biblical love is extremely difficult. While that may be true, can you possibly give us a word picture that will illustrate what biblical love looks like, particularly in relationship to contextualization?

Philip: The word picture which seems most prevalent is that of marriage. Great marriages are characterized by selfless sacrifice. No one is keeping score of who sacrificed more. They simply sacrifice because the other person matters more.

3. There are a tremendous amount of books that are on the market and which correspond with conferences. Why then the need to write this book and how is different from the rest?

Philip: The intention for the book was to give “normal Christians” a guide for why they should do all the things the pastor was asking of them. I think believers want to make a difference, but sometimes their motivations fail them. The biblical ideal of love can be a primary force leading them to be missional.

4. Missional is a popular yet controversial term. Can you attempt to define it and explain its importance?

Ed: I think that “missional” is like a Rorschach Test for many. In the Rorschach test, you asked what you see in random inkblots. It tells much about you and what you think and feel. The same is true for in the missional conversation. In many way, how we define “missional” is influenced by our concerns about what is wrong, and what is right, with the church today.

So, I can’t say my definition is the only one, but I will say that mission is shaped by a few things for me: Seeing God as missionary by his very nature, we join God in his mission. We tell of his good news, engage our communities as missionaries, and are agents of the mission and Kingdom of God.

5. Philip, how did the concepts in this book help you as you planted a new church that was much different than the other churches in your area? Do you find that it helps Lake Ridge to be more effective in communicating the gospel?

Philip: I want to be careful to say that I think other churches in our area hold out love as important. How love is communicated in our church is that without it, you will let your neighbor’s marriage crumble without intervening, your co-worker’s project crash without helping, and everyone around you perish eternally without caring. God’s love being made manifest in our lives causes us to go into the messy lives surrounding us and carry the only thing that will make a difference - the Gospel.

6. How does love relate to Missiology?

Ed: Missiology is the study of how mission work is done and why it succeeds. If you remove love from the framework, it degenerates into secular sociology that is pure pragmatism. With the desire to draw people into the love of God through the gospel, it lifts the study to having a divine purpose.

7. One of the things I’ve noticed is that many people talk about being “missional” but there doesn’t seem to be much difference in their behavior. What practical helps do you offer in the book to lead people to be more “missional”?

Philip: Throughout the book, we real stories from our own lives and those of our friends who live missionally. Additionally, there are discussion questions at the end of each chapter that can be used individually or in a group setting.

8. Philip, as a life-long member of the Southern Baptist Convention, how does this book offer help for our current denominational decline?

Philip: The state we find ourselves is uncharted territory for me. I pray that it can be a clear call of death to self. The denomination as a whole is merely an annual representation of local congregations which are clusters of individual believers. My prayer is that a book like Compelled by Love will awaken our passion for God’s love on such a local level that denominational effectiveness is simply a happy aftershock.

9. With Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation championing a book I’m sure many will assume that this is a book for “contemporary” settings. In your opinions, is this a traditional/contemporary issue or a “church-at-large” issue?

Philip: The state of our hearts is not a style issue. It is very much for the church at large. I grew up and have done most of my ministry in toe-tapping, Southern Gospel singing, wear a suit every Sunday churches. I love the fact that all styles of churches can lead people to Christ’s lordship. Our book gives no specific guidance of contemporary or traditional - it simply asks for an examination of our heart before God.

Ed: After Philip’s description of church, I am speechless. Southern Gospel, eh?

Anyway, I think the fact the book is about people and how they react to the love of God as expressed through the cross-that is trans-paradigm.

10. Lots of people have endorsed the book… why does the message resonate?

Philip: It seems to be relatively unique at this season of church life. We are simply grateful to the godly people who have leant their influence to its message.

11. If you could narrow down your desire for this book to one thing, what do you hope happens in the lives of your readers after reading this book?

Ed: One is hard, so you will have to give me two. First, for Christians to simply understand God’s heart better. Second, for them to see and love their community as the mission field.

12. Both of you have worked for your denomination. How would this message affect the way the SBC operates?

Ed: Though not reared Southern Baptist, I’m glad I have made the choice to be here. Contrary to what you see in the news and on some blogs, love is not in short supply in our denomination. I would hope to see it influence the way we communicate with those who seek to forge new models but still remain faithful to the Gospel and God’s inerrant scriptures.

Philip: The message of God’s sacrificing love can be the reinforcing power of why we do it. The temptation for self-aggrandizement is always before us because we are the largest Protestant denomination. Love will keep us humble because it will keep our focus outward.

13. Many in contemporary culture seem to equate love with tolerance of all things. Is this true? If not, how do you remain committed to biblical principles and yet still remain loving?

Philip: Jesus said in Matthew 10 that he came to bring a sword and not peace. Love must tell the truth and will not tolerate evil. When you tell the truth as God decrees it, it is divisive. As we live out God’s searching love, our work is to bring what will heal the mortal wounds of the soul. It is God’s love displayed exclusively in the Gospel to atone for the sin nature. There is not much tolerance there.

14. According to 1 John 4:8, “God is love.” With that as a central theme in your book, how does it shape the rest of the Christian’s life?

Ed: It shapes a person’s perspective. As God is love and calls us to follow in his way, we will simply perceive everyone with an everlasting scope rather than a temporary lens. When you see everyday events as part of a person’s eternity, being motivated to aid them becomes natural.

15. What if a reader says, “My life is not compelled by love.” What is your answer for them?

Ed: Not to give a Sunday School answer, but look at Jesus every day. Not just the rote “read a chapter a day,” but consider how he interacted with the other members of the Trinity, the apostles, the Pharisees, and the lost around him. Look and see if you can find anything outside the scope of love. Even in his just actions, you find love for God’s glory through redemption. Make that your central thought and you are on the way.

I have previously made my commitment to Avery Wills for 2008 SBC President clear. I believe he is the man who is best suited to lead our convention forward at this place in convention life.

One of the men in the IMB that I highly admire is Dr. Rodney Hammer. I first met Rodney while in training to go overseas with the IMB. Tracy and I lived side by side with Rodney, his wife and son. I learned then, while listening to Rodney teach during our training, to value his opinions significantly. Today Rodney briefly commented on SBCOutpost and offered his opinion about the upcoming SBC Presidential election. I enjoyed it so much I thought I would reproduce it here in hopes that even more people might consider his words.

SBC Friends,

I believe that Avery Willis is the one SBC presidential candidate that can bring what the SBC needs now…focus and leadership in spiritual renewal. Repentance and Revival will bring the fruit, the spiritual health, and the evangelism and mission results we so desparately desire. Beholdened to none except Christ, focused on the Kingdom, an Irenic conservative known and beloved throughout the Convention for his focus on spiritual health, revival, discipleship, evangelims and missions. It’s not his platform…it’s his entire life and ministry. The appointments and practical leadership will also see greater involvement of younger, more diverse, gospel and Kingdom focused Southern Baptists as well.
Bill Wagner is a good man. But Avery Willis is, I believe, God’s man for the hour and the model of what we need.

Amen Rodney, I couldn’t have said it better myself.

I got my latest copy of “OnMission Magazine” today. As I was flipping through it I ran across some scary statistics. I love the computer and the internet, but these are wild.

• 11% of Americans say they would be willing to implant a device in their brain that allowed them to use their mind to access the internet.
• 24% of Americans say that the internet can serve as a substitute for a spouse or significant other.
• The sum total of all information produced in 2008 will likely exceed the amount of information generated by humans over the past 40,000 years.

On nights like this I wish I could just stop being a Royals fan. We’re winning by a score of 8-3 in the 9th inning and we have one of the top bullpens in all of baseball. So, what do we do? Well, we proceed to lose on a home run in the 10th inning. This 10 game losing streak is as bad as I can remember any losing streak in recent Royals history, and that’s saying something. I still love the Royals, but tonight I wish I didn’t.

Ugh.