I have had a fast and furious past few weeks. From a nice extended weekend at the lake to a week with 200 children at Children’s Camp to this week which has been full of meetings, it seems as if it never slows down! That being said, I love so much being a pastor that even though my schedule is full, I couldn’t be happier! Tracy and I were talking the other day about how unique it is that each of us is getting to fulfill our dreams for our lives. She is a stay at home mom and I’m a lead Pastor at an amazing church which is being used by God to take the gospel to the world. What a blessing!

Coming up this week, however, is a couple of very exciting events. We start our new sermon series this week entitled “Oasis”. Just as an oasis appears in the midst of vast desert, so to Christ appears out of the midst of our depravity and offers us hope in a hopeless world. I’m excited about the new series. On top of the exciting series, the good folks who design our stage for each series have built a 10 foot waterfall which looks incredible! I’ll try and post pictures in the upcoming weeks once the stage design is complete.

Beyond that we start VBS next week. Last year we had over 200 children and this year we are praying for 400! We’ll see how God blesses our prayers and how God uses our VBS to draw children to Himself.

Finally, below is a picture a friend took of my wife and girls as we played with fireworks last week at the lake. I thought it was particularly good so I thought I would post it.

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.

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.

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

[audio:http://www.micahfries.com/audio/Stetzer Interview.mp3]
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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 signed a statement this past week. It was a statement that some wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ put together that speaks of our shared passion for the world to come to Christ and our commitment to helping make that happen. That statement is specifically designed to encourage the trustees of the International Mission Board to work to repeal the recent changes made to their guidelines for missionary service that have since cost many, many otherwise qualified candidates from serving overseas. This disappointing conclusion, arrived at by our IMB trustee board, is something that I have publicly communicated my displeasure about for quite some time so I won’t rehash that here. I would ask, however, that you read the statement yourself and consider signing it as well. You can do so by clicking here.

At Frederick Boulevard we like to say that, “We exist to Reach, Teach and Unleash committed followers of Jesus Christ.” This passion drives everything that we do. When we look at our metro area we know that we have approximately 105,000 people within 15 miles of our facility. Of those 105,000 approximately 80,000 are disconnected from any church. Our goal, then, is to connect those 80,000 disconnected people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we think about new ways to effectively reach those 80,000 we are constantly challenging ourselves to do whatever it takes to reach them.

Our newest effort to reach the 80,000 disconnected people was announced this past Sunday in worship and I am so excited about it! One of the most significant populations in our community that are dramatically unreached is the Hispanic population. We also know, however, that they are probably not going to come to our facility. We have tried over the years to use ESL, as well as other ministries, and have not successfully brought them to our facility. So, in order to reach them with the gospel we are going to go to them rather than ask them to come to us. As Elders, we recently agreed to move towards the planting an additional campus of Frederick Boulevard that will be on the south side of St. Joseph and will be a Hispanic campus. We are moving towards becoming more of a multiplying church than ever before. This should be one of the most significant efforts we’ve ever been involved in as we try to take the gospel to those who do not have it.

So, please be praying for us as we move through this process. Our hope is to begin small in-home Bible studies over the next few months until our campus pastor is here and on staff with us. We then hope to move towards actual services beginning after the 1st of the year. It should be a lot of fun to be a part of.

If you are a part of Frederick Boulevard and you feel like God is moving you towards missions involvement, I would highly encourage you to consider volunteering to be a part of this new campus. We need families who are willing to engage in this new ministry. By the way, Spanish proficiency is not necessary. We have found that we are in need of bi-lingual ministry. Many of the parents speak Spanish as a first language and many of the kids are speaking English as a first language and so we need people who speak either English or Spanish (or both) to be a part of the ministry!

This is an exciting time to be a part of what God is doing in St. Joseph through Frederick Boulevard.

8 years ago today I stood at an altar and exchanged vows with the woman of my dreams. Today we get to celebrate 8 years of marriage together. When we stood at the altar and said “I do” at Beulah Baptist Church in Dothan, AL I am positive that Tracy had no idea what she was getting into. All I knew was that I was the most blessed guy in the world. As today is a celebration day, I spent a bit of time reflecting on the past 8 years and I have come to the conclusion that I would be a wreck if it was not for my godly wife. She has been my encourager and helpmate on occasions when I deserved neither. She has been my critic and has provided accountability when I did not want, but certainly needed, both. She continues to amaze me with her love for the Lord, her passion for being a Mommy and her incredible love for me. I was the most blessed guy in the world 8 years ago today and I am even more blessed today than I was then.

Tracy, I love you and I am so thankful for 8 years with you and I cannot wait for another 50 or 60 more.