To the Ends of Earth

New Blog

2011-10-24T17:58:00.001-02:00

With the move to a new church, I am launching a new blog (www.pastormikemadaris.blogspot.com). I will leave this one up for a while still, but will only be writing on the new one. Thanks for reading, and I hope you keep up with our new ministry too. God bless. Pastor Mike

The Last Day

2011-09-16T04:21:00.000-02:00

Time has most definitely flown by this week in Vietnam. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. There hasn't been much down time since Tuesday. I had to do so much rearranging of my lesson plans to accomodate the material I really need to teach the class. I stayed with the topic assigned: the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. But I knew going in that I would have to be fluid rather than ridged.

Today was simple enough though. I had the students complete my post-test survey, then they took their final exam (that's the first one I've ever created), and then I had developed a short coarse evaluation that I asked them to complete, rating the coarse in general, the content, and the instructor. I'm just hoping I get invited back. The highest complement I received this week was one student asking when I would be returning, and then telling me he would be praying it would be soon. I smiled and said me too.

Now I'm hanging out waiting for 9 PM to role around so I can head to the airport. In the meantime, I'm gonna go shopping for the girls and Melissa, and will have supper with Huy and KB. See ya soon.

Serving Him,
Mike

Day 3

2011-09-15T08:24:00.000-02:00

Day 3 was a great day. We covered so much material. I began the day teaching on the biblical differences between being baptized with the Spirit at salvation, the pentecostal idea of Spiritual baptist/second baptist, and filling of the Spirit. Then I moved to the topic of the fruit of the Spirit. My final topic today was the gifts of the Spirit with a focus on the biblical teaching concerning the sign gifts. I think the students tolerated the other 2 days so they could hear what I had to say about gifts. FYI, pentecostal/charismatic theology is sweeping the world. I love their passion to preach the gospel, but I don't believe they have a biblically accurate understanding of the Holy Spirit.

The students definitely interacted more today than any other day, and it was because of their desire to understand what the bible says about this. They have very strong feelings and thoughts about it, that's for sure. I love their desire and passion to know and live out their faith in a way that exalts the Lord Jesus Christ above all. I have to say, I was convicted in this area of my life. I honestly believe I learned as much from them and was encouraged by them as I may have ever been able to teach them. These students welcomed me and treated my with such respect as I am not accustomed too. They are kind in ways that I can't describe. And were so appreciative of the time I gave to come here to help them. I wonder where this attitude has hidden in the US. I believe it would be valuable time spent rediscovering it.

On a lighter note. I coming home tomorrow night. My flight leaves Saigon at 11:50 PM. I fly to Seoul, and from Seoul to Atlanta. I have a lovely 5 hour layover in Atlanta and am suppose to be in Jacksonville at 5:30 PM Saturday where my beautiful wife and children will meet me at the airport. Then its a week of relaxing in St. Augustine and final packing of the house in Green Cove Springs. The movers will be there on the 27th to load our stuff up for the move to North Carolina and the beginning of a new ministry at Highland Baptist Church. I have such a hope and expectation that great things are instore in the near and distant future. Lord Jesus, I can't wait.

Serving Him,
Mike

Teaching Day 2

2011-09-14T11:31:00.001-02:00

Wow, what a day! I like it, I love it, I want some more of it. I have had a blast today. You would think that teaching all day long would not be that fun, but at the end of the day, I was wishing for more time. There was so much we needed to talk about, but didn't have time to get too. All I was able to cover today was John 14-16. I had planned to get through that just in the morning session. But I felt we needed to take our time, and that's what we did. I was amazed at how much these students were willing to interact with me. That fact alone was a huge cultural barrier that we were able to overcome together. The Vietnamese students usually sit and listen and take notes, but do not say anything during class. It is disrespectful to the teacher. It was awesome to see and hear them dialogue with each other and me during and inbetween class about the topic of discussion. I pray Vietnam is never the same; I pray it is eternally changed for the honor and glory and fame of the great name of Jesus Christ.

I have spent the evening, after supper (I went to 24 and had Pho), studying for tomorrows assignment, preparing a final exam and answer key, and a student evaluation of the class. I look forward to hearing what they have to say about our time together. I believe it has been a great week, let's see what they think come Friday after the exam.

Tomorrw I will be addressing the difference between "baptism of the Spirit" and the "filling of the Spirit" in the first session in the morning. Then I will move to Galatians 5 and address the fruit of the Spirit vs, the works of the flesh. After lunch we will spend 2.5-3 hours dealing with the gifts of the Spirit. How in the world am I going to cover all of that in one day?!!! I don't know, but I've gotta try. Much prayer is appreciated.

Serving Him in Vietnam,
Mike

Teaching Day 1

2011-09-13T11:28:00.000-02:00

I had a great day in the Lord today with the students from the VBBI. They were so gracious in filling out the questionnaire and pre-test for my DMin research. It took them almost 2 hours of the morning. One thing I learned as they went through that this morning is that even the way we ask questions in the US is sometimes difficult to translate into another culture. How much a student of culture the Apostle Paul and others like him had to have been to go into so many different cultures around the world at that time and effectively share the gospel of Jesus with so many lost people. I am becoming more and more confident that to effectively and efficiently share the gospel we must know our culture and cultures we invade thoroughly. Become a student of culture today, so you might change the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ tomorrow. One size does not fit all.

After the class of 40+ pastors and church leaders (can you imagine how they could change Vietnam and the world if they catch a glimpse of the call and command of the Great Commission) finished the paper work I gave them, we jumped into the deep end of the pool, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. One of the most difficult things for me to do is decide what to try to talk with them about and what not to discuss concerning this doctrine. With only 3.5 days of actual teaching time, and that cut in half when you account for translating time, there is not very much time to cover vast amounts of material. I keep praying and asking: "Lord, what are the essentials I need to speak to considering the context and the need?" We covered very briefly today the fact that the Holy Spirit is a person, the Holy Spirit is divine, and the Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son in the Trinity. What is so challenging is you could spend weeks studying any one of those three aspects biblically. My goal is to overload their wagons with scripture that they can then in turn return home and study, allowing God the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Word of God in their hearts and minds.

And speaking of returning home, the guy traveling the farthest to attend class this week, besides me, traveled over 700 KM to get here. Not sure how far that is in miles, but I know it's a long way.

The goal for tomorrow and Thursday will be to exegete passages on the job of the Holy Spirit from John 14-16, the fruit of the Spirit from Gal. 5, and spirtual gifts from I Cor. 12-14, etc... Please be praying for me as I seek to honor the Lord Jesus and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Thanks and God bless.
Serving Him,
Mike

The First 48 in Vietnam

2011-09-12T00:24:00.000-02:00

I arrived in Saigon on Saturday night about 11 PM Vietnam time. I am 13 hours ahead of EST, it's normally 12 hours, but they don't do Daylight Savings Time here. I slept about 4 hours, and was up to get ready for church about 6:15 AM. I went to worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ at Grace Baptist Church. The church also hosts the bible institute I will be teaching in Tuesday through Friday.

After church I came back to the room and did some reading. I tried to watch the end of the Gator game, but espn360 doesn't work over here for some reason. Went to lunch about 12:30 PM and then came back to the room to do some more reading and preparing to teach. I went to sleep about 2:30 and slept til 7 PM when my phone rang. I had made an appointment to meet with a guy to talk. Didn't realize how tired I was, but I got up and we hung out for a couple of hours. There is this awesome little coffee/desert shop right next door to my hotel, so we went there. On my last trip over here, Dr. Ewart and I spent alot of time there in the evenings hanging out, drinking coffee, and talking. Bet I have a repeat performance this time too. When I got back to the room I spent some additional time in God's Word and praying. I know this will be an horrible experience without his outstanding power and guidance as I teach.

What amazed me, was that I went right back to sleep when I was done studying, and I slept til 5 AM. One of the things which makes trips like this doable is technology like Skype. I've been able to talk with my kids in NC and my wife in FL already this week. I would always prefer to be with them, but when I can't, being able to see them and talk with them is a comfort and blessing. In this way I am so thankful to the Lord for technology and the internet. I love my family!

Today (Monday) I'm just hanging out in the hotel room this morning studying for tomorrow. I'm reading the second book in a series by Dr. Jerry Vines on the Holy Spirit. Good stuff. Praying for wisdom, guidance and a keen ability to communicate cross-culturally this week. Pray with me!

Serving Him,
Mike

The SBC's voted stance on the NIV 2011

2011-06-30T13:37:00.000-02:00

Patterson, Mohler endorse resolution critical of NIV '11

Posted on Jun 29, 2011 | by Michael Foust

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Two prominent Southern Baptist leaders have endorsed a resolution passed by convention messengers that calls the New International Version (NIV) 2011 Bible an "inaccurate translation" the SBC cannot recommend.

Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, say messengers were right to pass the resolution and take a stand against what the language calls "gender neutral methods of translation." Mohler, though, did say he regrets the resolution addresses LifeWay stores so directly.

The controversy over a newer version of the NIV dates back to 2002 when messengers passed a resolution criticizing the Today's New International Version (TNIV) Bible, which also employed a gender-neutral philosophy of translation for pronouns. After receiving criticism from James Dobson, Southern Baptist leaders and other evangelical leaders, the TNIV never gained widespread usage and finally was discontinued.

At issue in both cases are pronouns for humanity, not pronouns for God.

The NIV 2011 is an updated translation to both the TNIV and the NIV 1984. It maintains 75 percent of the gender-neutral changes found in the TNIV, according to the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, a Louisville, Ky.-based group that supports a complementarian position on manhood and womanhood. CBMW did acknowledge that the NIV 2011 had "numerous commendable improvements" from the TNIV but that the newest translation still had problems from CBMW's perspective. The NIV 2011, CBMW contends, changes the meaning of the text in numerous verses, and by changing singular pronouns to plural pronouns, "removes the emphasis on an individual, personal relationship with God and on specific individual responsibility for one's choices and actions."

The NIV's popularity -- it's the bestselling Bible translation -- is a driving force behind the controversy. Zondervan, the North American publisher, is discontinuing the NIV 1984 and replacing it with the NIV 2011.

The fact that the resolution on the NIV 2011 was debated at all at the SBC annual meeting was somewhat of a surprise, because the Resolutions Committee, the body charged to recommend resolutions to the convention, had declined it. Instead, messenger Tim Overton asked from the floor that his resolution -- previously submitted to the committee as required -- be brought forward, and messengers voted to consider it by the required margin of at least 2-to-1. After a brief debate, it passed overwhelmingly by a show of ballots, receiving opposition from only a few dozen messengers out of the 4,800 who were registered.

CBMW's lengthy NIV 2011 evaluation, released in May, helped give the resolution momentum.

"The adoption of a resolution on the NIV offered from the floor of the Southern Baptist Convention has three major points of significance," Patterson told Baptist Press in a statement. "First, it demonstrates anew that a grass-roots response on the part of Southern Baptists is still a unique feature of the DNA of the Convention, something that we must never loose. Second, the adoption of this resolution demonstrates the continuing concern that the overwhelming majority of Southern Baptists have for gender-neutral translations of the Scripture and the questionable advertising techniques of the NIV marketing program. In fact, Southern Baptists will continue to reject all agenda-driven translations of Holy Scripture.

"Third," Patterson continued, "this action from the floor of the Convention should send a message to all Southern Baptist Convention institutions and agencies that we are expected to pursue our ministries out of conviction rather than out of concern for profitability."

Focus on the Family also has quietly taken a stance on the NIV 2011. Its website lists a series of Bibles it recommends, specifically stating the "New International Version 1984 Edition" as an acceptable translation. An asterisk guides readers to the bottom of the list, where it says, "For a preliminary analysis of the NIV 2011 Edition, see the CBMW's review." The link takes readers to a November article where CBMW said it "cannot commend" the updated translation.

Mohler said he thought the Resolutions Committee and messengers were both right.

"The Committee on Resolutions had good reason for deciding that this was not the most timely opportunity to bring a resolution on the NIV," Mohler told Baptist Press. "I would not second guess the Resolutions Committee, and I certainly know their conviction on these issues. But once that resolution was brought to the floor, Southern Baptists simply had to support it, and support it overwhelmingly, on the basis of the fact that what it said was patently true and did reflect the established concerns of Southern Baptists."

The resolution, Mohler said, reflected his concerns "related to the gender issue and specifically related to the linkage between a verbal plenary understanding of inspiration and the importance of an accurate and formal translation."

The doctrine of verbal plenary inspiration holds that all the words of Scripture are God's words and that all Scripture is authoritative.

Douglas Moo, chairman of the Committee on Bible Translation -- which translated the NIV 2011 -- previously told Baptist Press there was no agenda in the translation process other than to render a Bible into more contemporary language. The committee did, he said, make significant changes following the controversy over the TNIV.

"Our gender decisions were made on the basis of very careful and significant research ... and the decisions we've made about gender have no motivation of not offending people," he told Baptist Press, explaining that the committee used the Collins Bank of English, a database of 4.4 billion words showing how people are speaking and writing. "The motivation, rather, is to communicate clearly to people what we think arguably is contemporary English," Moo said.

He added, "Where, in our view, the original text is intending to be inclusive then we feel our job as translators is to figure out what is the best way to make that inclusive point in modern English.

"Where the original text is exclusive, on the other hand, then our task as translators is to choose the appropriate contemporary exclusive English construction that conveys the meaning of the original. That is not to say that all of the decisions are easy ones. There are a lot of texts which are very tough to make that decision about. Of course, we struggle with those, and good scholars can come to different opinions on some of them."

An example of the NIV 2011's gender-neutral language is John 14:23, which reads, "Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." The NIV 1984 read, "Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." Changing "him" to "them," CBMW says, removes the emphasis on an individual, personal relationship with Christ. Another example is 1 Samuel 18:2, which the 2011 NIV rendered, "From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family." The 1984 NIV translated it " ... let him return home to his father's house" -- a translation CBMW said emphasizes the role of fathers in Israelite society.

Still another verse of concern for CBMW is 1 Timothy 2:12, a passage dealing with church roles. The controversy actually does not pertain to pronouns. The NIV 2011 rendered it, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet." The NIV 1984 translated it "have authority." No other major modern English translation translates it as "assume." The verse, CBMW said, takes sides in the debate over female pastors. "As soon as a church adopts the 2011 NIV," CBMW said, "the debate over women's roles in that church will be over, because women pastors and elders can just say, 'I'm not assuming authority on my own initiative; it was given to me by the other pastors and elders,'"

Said Mohler, "It's very healthy that the convention sends a very clear signal that we take the issue of faithfulness in Bible translation and accuracy in Bible translation to be of utmost, nonnegotiable importance."

Overton, pastor of Halteman Village Baptist Church in Muncie, Ind., said "Southern Baptists have a long and proud history of speaking biblical truth to important issues." Overton used the 2002 resolution as the basis for writing the 2011 resolution.

"Biblica [the worldwide publisher] and Zondervan made serious errors when they chose to insert a gender-neutral philosophy of translation into the 2011 New International Version," Overton told BP. "This flawed translation undermines verbal plenary inspiration, which is a core belief of Southern Baptists. Every single word in Scripture, including pronouns, is inspired by God. When the bestselling NIV Bible disregards the smallest 'jot or tittle' of Scripture, Southern Baptists have an obligation to make a firm stand upon God's inerrant Holy Bible."

Among the resolution's highlights, it says the NIV 2011 erases "gender-specific details which appear in the original language" and "has gone beyond acceptable translation standards." It cites CBMW's 75 percent statistic and says messengers "cannot commend the 2011 NIV to Southern Baptists or the larger Christian community."

It also says messengers "respectfully request that LifeWay not make this inaccurate translation available for sale in their bookstores."

"It has been a part of established SBC tradition not to address the convention's entities by means of resolution, and this is a good policy," Mohler said. "I do regret that this resolution addresses LifeWay so directly. This puts LifeWay in an almost impossible position. The very significant complications now handed to LifeWay include the fact that the NIV is not the only English Bible to involve many of the same translation issues. The resolution rightly addresses many translation concerns, but the NIV is hardly alone with respect to those issues. Furthermore, removing a specific Bible translation is no simple matter."

As an example, Mohler cited B&H's popular New American Commentary series, which is based on the NIV translation.

"This is true across the board for many evangelical commentary series, and for a host of devotional works as well," Mohler said.

LifeWay released a statement after the resolution passed, stating, "LifeWay Christian Resources has received the resolution. Our first step is to involve our board of trustees since they are the representative body Southern Baptists have elected to oversee our work."

Other gender-neutral translations are the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), the New Living Translation (NLT), the New Century Version (NCV) and the Contemporary English Version (CEV).
--30--
Michael Foust is associate editor of Baptist Press. To read Baptist Press' overview story of the NIV controversy, which includes quotes from Douglas Moo, who chaired the committee that translated it, visit www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=35458

Read CBMW's evaluation of the NIV 2011:
http://bit.ly/mD9Vwg

Read the Committee on Bible Translators' statement on the translation philosophy:
http://www.niv-cbt.org/niv-2011-overview/translators-notes/

Thoughts from my sisters pastor on church membership.

2011-06-28T13:07:00.001-02:00

Just so you know. I agree and therefore I post. :) Why should a Christian be an active, engaged member of a local church? (Rob Singleton is pastor of Southbrook Church just out of Charlotte, NC.)

1) It’s biblical. Jesus established the local church and all the apostles did their ministry through it. The Christian life in the New Testament is church life. Christians today should expect and desire the same.
2) The church is its members. To be “a church” in the New Testament is to be one of its members (read through Acts). And you want to be part of the church because that’s who Jesus came to rescue and reconcile to himself.
3) It’s a pre-requisite for the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a meal for the gathered church, that is, for members (see 1 Cor. 11:20, 33). And you want to take the Lord’s Supper. It’s the team “jersey” which makes the church team visible to the nations. (Pastor Rob: I struggle with this one because the only requirement I see in scripture for partaking with a group of believers in the Lord’s Supper is that you are a believer)
4) It’s how to officially represent Jesus. Membership is the church’s affirmation that you are a citizen of Christ’s kingdom and therefore a card-carrying Jesus Representative before the nations. And you want to be an official Jesus Representative. Closely related to this…
5) It’s how to declare one’s highest allegiance. Your membership on the team, which becomes visible when you wear the “jersey,” is a public testimony that your highest allegiance belongs to Jesus. Trials and persecution may come, but your only words are, “I am with Jesus.”
6) It’s how to embody and experience biblical images. It’s within the accountability structures of the local church that Christians live out or embody what it means to be the “body of Christ,” the “temple of the Spirit,” the “family of God,” and so on for all the biblical metaphors (see 1 Cor. 12). And you want to experience the interconnectivity of his body, the spiritual fullness of his temple, and the safety and intimacy and shared identity of his family.
7) It’s how to serve other Christians. Membership helps you to know which Christians on Planet Earth you are specifically responsible to love, serve, warn, and encourage. It enables you to fulfill your biblical responsibilities to Christ’s body (for example, see Eph. 4:11-16; 25-32).
It’s how to follow Christian leaders. Membership helps you to know which Christian leaders on Planet Earth you are called to obey and follow. Again, it allows you to fulfill your biblical responsibility to them (see Heb. 13:7; 17).
9) It helps Christian leaders lead. Membership lets Christian leaders know which Christians on Planet Earth they will “give an account” for (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2).
10) It enables church discipline. It gives you the biblically prescribed place to participate in the work of church discipline responsibly, wisely, and lovingly (1 Cor. 5).
11) It gives structure to the Christian life. It places an individual Christian’s claim to “obey” and “follow” Jesus into a real-life setting where authority is actually exercised over us (see John 14:15; 1 John 2:19; 4:20-21).
12) It builds a witness and invites the nations. Membership puts the alternative rule of Christ on display for the watching universe (see Matt. 5:13; John 13:34-35; Eph. 3:10; 1 Peter 2:9-12). The very boundaries which are drawn around the membership of a church yield a society of people which invites the nations to something better.

There are some other reasons why every Christian should be an active, engaged member of a local church, but I thought this was a good start.

Pastor Mike

From my devotions yesterday

2011-06-07T12:53:00.000-02:00

I am currently reading One Year: Devotinal Prayer Book II, Living the Life. It is a devotional book put together by Dr. Johnny Hunt. Each weeks devotional readings are done by different pastors and friends of Dr. Hunt. This is the devotional reading from yesterday. (It begins with a prayer, scripture, thoughts and closing prayer)

Dear heavenly Father, give me a heart that seeks after You, a mind that thinks like Christ, and a spirit that deisres to know and follow Your Word. Empty me of myself, fill me with Your Spirit, and drive the truths of Your Word deep into my heart. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen

Philippians 2:3-5 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

Many great things seem to be going on in the Philippian church, but one issue threatened their strength: division in the body. Where there is division, there can be no unity. And when the body of Christ is not in unity, the ministry of Christ is hurt.
Divisiveness is a very real danger to every healthy church. Why? Because self gets in the way. The answer in a word is ego. However, God gives an answer to sinful, human thinking in Philippians, and we can break it down into five brief, clear points.
First, don't be selfish. Unity in the church starts with slaying the giant of selfishness, which is egotism. A personal desire to advance one's self is always destructive and disruptive. Second, don't be conceited. This refers to seeking after personal glory. Third, regard others as more important. Unity is born out of humility. Fourth, don't look out for only your own interests. We are to be passionately involved in the causes of others. Fifth, be genuinely concerned for others.
If the church lives by the standard of conduct God has set for us, we will eliminate competition and divisiveness. God's standard is very high. The only One who ever lived it to perfection was Jesus Christ. He is our model. Therefore, let us follow Him!

Lord Jesus, help me to be a team player, someone who brings unity and not division. My hearts desire is for people to see You in me, to be salt and light. Fill me with Your compassion for the world's spiritual brokeness. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
(Written by Rob Zinn)

New Newsletter Article April-June 2011

2011-03-25T16:58:00.000-02:00

Dear HGBC,

I have an idea. I know, I know, that can be a good thing and that can be a bad thing. But I believe this idea is a good one. I will have to say it’s not an original idea. It’s a borrowed idea. I don’t know if the guy I’m borrowing it from is the originator of the idea or if he, like me, borrowed it from someone else.

The idea comes from a desire in my heart to give more than we ever have to the advancement of the Kingdom of God through missions. Every year we set aside one month to focus on giving to missions in North America by giving to the Annie Armstrong Easter offering. I mention this offering first because we are currently giving to this offering. We usually give $1000.00 or so towards the Annie Armstrong offering. In May, we take up an offering for the Florida Baptist Children’s Home on Mother’s Day. I mention this now as a reminder that it will not be long before you see those Children’s Home envelops around the church. We give toward the McGuire State Missions offering in September. This offering goes to help fund missions efforts in our beautiful state, as Florida Baptists strive to reach the more than 17 million people in Florida who are without Christ. We also spend the month of December taking up the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. This offering goes directly to support the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and our 5000 plus missionaries around the world. HGBC usually gives about $1500.00 towards this offering. The money given towards these offering goes to support Southern Baptist causes at home and around the world and it is a good and necessary part of our cooperative efforts to reach the billions of people on this planet who have never heard the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. In addition to these specific and special offerings, we give a percentage of our undesignated receipts to missions through our Cooperative Program giving. It sounds like a lot of money, but if you totaled up the amounts given, it’s not as much as you would think.

But I believe we can do more; I believe we can do better. Now here is the idea.

I would like to see HGBC incorporate what we would call a Global Missions offering. We would still take up a special offering during each of these campaigns, but it would only be one Sunday rather than a whole month. The Global Missions offering would take a spot on our offering envelopes in the place of Annie and Lottie. We would have the opportunity to give to our Global Missions offering on a weekly basis. We would take the offering and divide it up on a percentage basis between Lottie (50%), Annie (25%), the Children’s Home (10%), McGuire (10%), and our local mission’s needs (5%), etc… I believe that if we determined to give a small amount on a weekly basis, rather than trying to take up a larger amount every few months, HGBC would end up giving more money on a yearly basis to these needed and worthy efforts of advancement.

The guy I was telling you about earlier is David Tarkington, pastor of First Baptist Church Orange Park. Using this idea as a way of giving allowed FBCOP to have a record setting year in their support of these Southern Baptist offerings. He told me they had never come close to giving as much as they did in 2010 before they implemented their Global Missions offering. I believe we can do it too! What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts, questions or concerns. God is at work! Don’t miss it, and don’t miss Him. I love you.

Pastor Mike

Rom. 15:13

WOW

2011-02-08T18:03:00.000-02:00

It is amazing to see God at work any time any place. It is more amazing to see our Heavenly Father at work where we are. It is even more amazing to see the Lord at work our personal lives. Each setting is more intimate than the other, but He is the same amazing Savior in each and every situation.

The Lord Jesus is at work through the Holy Spirit in the life of HGBC. I had the privilege of baptizing those four young people I mentioned in my last post. I am so thankful that our Heavenly Father is entrusting us with these new believers, allowing us to be the ones who helps mold them into what He wants them to be, doing what He wants them to do.

I am so very excited about the possibilities of ministry and kingdom advancement that will come out of our Strategic Leadership Team. We had our first meeting last night. Sixteen leaders were there; thank you for demonstrating your heart for our church and the ministry Jesus Christ has given us as His church by coming. We had some great conversation and teaching. My prayer is that what we did last night lays the foundation for explosive power and momentum as we seek to do a better job of Loving God, Loving Each Other, and Serving the World.

Serving Him,
Pastor Mike

One Glorious Sunday

2011-01-27T01:36:00.000-02:00

We had one glorious Sunday at HGBC this past Sunday. It was our privilege to "go to the birthin room." You might be wondering what that expression means, so let me explain. It means that we were able to see Two precious young ladies saved during the invitation Sunday morning; we saw them birthed into the family of God. I'm as proud today as I was when I saw my own two daughters born into this world. I just want to Say thank you to our Heavenly Father for giving us this privilege. We will not take it for granted.

Newsletter Article January 2011

2011-01-07T19:45:00.000-02:00

To the Church at HGBC,

It’s 2011. I just celebrated my 38th birthday and my 10th wedding anniversary. I look back on my life and know that I’m a blessed man. I am blessed because of Christ and what he has done and is doing for me. I’m blessed because of the gifts of God in my wife and children. I’m blessed to be your pastor. We’ve come through a lot in the last 5 years; our Heavenly Father has taught us some valuable lessons. He taught us those things because he wants to use us more mightily for his honor and glory.

With that in mind along with what I preached this past Sunday, January 2, 2011, from Acts 14:1-7, I want us to take a step together in 2011. That step is in the direction of the way we dream and plan what we do or don’t do at HGBC. I know we have had a church council since before I came in 2005. We have made changes to the church council several times to try to make it more convenient for members to attend; some have worked and some haven’t. What I would like to do is make one more change. I want to turn the church council into the Strategic Leadership Team for HGBC. We will be meeting on a monthly basis, probably on a Monday or Thursday night each month. Any member of the church is welcome to attend the meetings of the Strategic Leadership Team, but I would like to request that all members who are serving on committees or other leadership positions, like Sunday School teachers, children and youth workers, etc… make every attempt to attend the monthly meetings.

We will be addressing calendar issues each month, but it will be so much more. One of the top priorities of the Strategic Leadership Team will be praying together each month for our church. We will do some bible studies together to help us gain a better understanding of the mission of God and HGBC and the vision and plans we need in place to help us accomplish our mission. We will also use the Strategic Leadership Team to evaluate what we are already doing, why we are doing it, do we need to continue doing it at all, and do we need to change or adapt what we are doing to better serve our Heavenly Father, the community, and the church.

We will have our first meeting in February. I’ll make sure to give you plenty of notice. I want to encourage you to be praying; make prayer the top priority in your life for 2011. Pray that we will be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as we seek to live our lives according to his purpose. I love you, and look forward to a great year of ministry and impact. God bless you.

Serving Him,

Pastor Mike

Num. 6:24-26

Christmas Time

2010-12-11T16:36:00.000-02:00

I am just sitting here at my house listening to Christmas music. I like the sounds and smells of Christmas. Melissa has been baking some stuff and it's hard to stay out of the kitchen. I just thought, "What should I say about Christmas?" That's an interesting question. How would you answer it?

I would say some general things about Christmas and would say some specific things about Christmas. The general things would include: its a special time of year (duh), it's a time of family and friends, it's a time of spending (sometimes more than we should to give people things they don't need or want), it's a time of receiving (see previous thought), it's a time of traveling and hurry (I'm listening to Silent Night), it's a time for parties and services. I wonder how many people see only this part of Christmas or this type of Christmas?

The specific things I would say about Christmas are: it is the time when Christians celebrate the birth of the Messiah, the Savior, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I would it is the time when Christians have the perfect opportunity to share what Christmas is really all about to a lot of people who would be willing to listen because it's Christmas and they like Christmas too. (But how many Christians get so caught up in the general things of Christmas that we forget the specific things of Christmas?) It is a time of celebrating and rejoicing and joy. It is a time to remember the whole story of Christmas; Jesus wasn't born to be born, he was born to die on the cross for the sin of the world and rise again from the dead providing salvation for all who believe. It is a time to give gifts to those we love. If you love Jesus, what will you give him this year?

Enjoy the holiday season and Merry Christmas.
Serving Him,
Mike

Advent Conspiracy Promo Video

2010-12-08T19:53:00.000-02:00

Sunday/Monday in Vietnam

2010-11-22T05:31:00.000-02:00

I spent Sunday worshiping with my family and doing some final shopping. Today we went to tour one of several Buddhist temples in Siagon. I have some fascinating pictures and stories. I'll share a quick one.

One of the things they sell in the temple is little birds. I took a picture of one of the cages as a reminder. The purpose of the birds is to be bought and set free by the worshiper. In buying the bird and setting it free you earn favor with the gods and spirit world, basically it is to "ensure" good luck. I was reminded over and over on this trip that people are people no matter where they live. Every person has a "God shaped" hole inside, and we instinctively know its there. We all try to fill it so we will be complete. We try to fill it with good deeds, like the bird, we try to fill it with relationships, money, you name it has been used, but it all fails to satisfy. There is only one thing/person who can do the job, and his name is Jesus the Christ.

This is my last post from Vietnam. We leave the hotel at 3:30 AM Vietnam time and we are headed home. I'm suppose to be in Jacksonville by 5 PM Tuesday afternoon EST. I can't wait to see my girls, the big one too. I love you Melissa, Morgan and Mya.

Serving Him,
Mike

Friday/Saturday in Vietnam

2010-11-20T00:10:00.000-02:00

Friday was a good day for us. We finished our assignment and the test was taken. I was encouraged because I gave all the students a questionnaire to take home. Every one of them handed it in, and as they are translated into English I will have some excellent material to work with for my project. Now all I have to do, is finish everything else so I will be ready to use it when the time comes. You can pray with me about that. I would appreciate it.

We had a great meeting Friday afternoon with three experts in the field. I was able to ask them some questions, but to honest I am dealing with an overload of information and I don't think I took advantage of them the way I should have. I do have their contact information and will be able to continue the conversation over the next year. I know that after being here these days, I have a lot more to pray about. I know have names and faces to remember of our brothers and sisters in Christ who face great difficulties and uncertainties as they stand for King Jesus. I encourage you to pray for your spiritual family; lift them up to the Father. He is all they have and He is all they need.

Today Dr. Ewart is doing a training session with the local leadership. I'm sitting here typing this while he is teaching. This afternoon I will be able to complete my second book review for the week. I will then settle down for some reading until about 4 PM, and then we will go do some shopping and eat supper.

We will be home Tuesday and I can't wait to hold my girls. I love you Melissa, Morgan and Mya. I can't wait to see you.

Serving Him,
Mike

Thursday in Vietnam

2010-11-19T00:54:00.000-02:00

Yesterday I had a very unexpected experience. Dr. Ewart got sick, and at the last minute I had to teach the class all day. I feel like the Lord really did an amazing work, even if it was only in me, but I am sure that I was not the only recipient of the His grace.

I took some things from Dr. Ewarts powerpoint and jumped in. The subject was "the Biblical Perspective of Leadership." We looked at and gleaned leadership principles and characteristics by looking at OT and NT leaders. We studied Abraham, Joseph, Moses and David. In the NT we studied the lives of Jesus, Peter in Acts 10 and the relationship between Paul and Timothy. I had a blast. I am looking forward to having an opportunity to teach again in the future.

We had a great meal last night with some great leaders here, and then we walked down to see the Siagon River. This is an amazing city, over 10 million people. I want to give you two amazing statistics: 1) 75% of the population of the country is under 35 years old, 2) over 60% of the population is under 25. These number represent a multitude of lost young people. I pray that God will use us to help lead/train in the reaching of them. Will you pray with me for the lostness of these people?

The weekend is here and we fly home Tuesday. I can't wait to see my girls.

One of the best experiences of the week was this morning. Through Skype technology I was able to have our family prayer time with my girls before they went to bed. That was awesome!

Serving Him,
Mike

Tuesday/Wednesday in Vietnam

2010-11-17T01:22:00.000-02:00

Today (Tuesday) the assignment began for us. It is a great learning experience all the way around. I am learning as much, hopefully, as the students. I watch them and see a determination to learn and grow spiritually. Leadership in the focus. It was a long first day, but a great foundation is being laid.

We looked at Isaiah 62:10 as we began Wednesday morning. This verse is a great foundation for leaders. It says, "Go through, go through the gates; prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway; clear it of stones; lift up a signal over the peoples."

In this verse, Isaiah is looking into the future prophecying of what will happen at the end of the Babylonian captivity. He forsees the work of Ezra and Nehemiah. He sees that the walls of Jerusalem and the Temple have been torn down and destoyed. The work will be to rebuild, clear the way, and let the people know where the clear paths into the city are. These things had to be done duirng that time and they still need to be done today.

Three quick ideas for the leader in you: 1) a leader builds or rebuilds what has been torn down, 2) a leader clears the path or highway for the people to be able to travel easily, and 3) a leader raises a banner or flag over the cleared pathway to let the people know the path has been cleared. Are there new things in your life and ministry that need to be built or made stronger? Are there things that have been torn down which need to be rebuilt? Are there things in your life and ministry that need to be cleared away so that traveling into the city of God is made easy? How are you signaling to the people around you that there is a clear pathway into the city of God?

You may here a sermon on this before too long.

Serving Him,
Mike

Monday in Vietnam

2010-11-15T08:36:00.000-02:00

Today has been an interesting day. It started for me at 2:45 AM, not out of necessity but because I just woke up. I tried to go back to sleep, but by 3:30 I was just tired of laying in the bed. I had fallen asleep at 6 PM. Woke up at 9 PM when my Melissa and the girls called me on Skype. Went back to bed until 2:45. I plan on staying up a little later tonight so that wake up call won't be so early in the morning. But I did have a great time with the Father in his Word. (Started reading Lamentations, about to finish Psalms, and am reading Proverbs through for the 3rd time this year.) When I finished that time, I began writing a book review. Maybe I will finish it tonight after supper. I need to finish it and write another review while I'm here.

I have been apart of two very important conversations today. One was with some organizational leaders, and another was with a company man. My eyes are being opened and my mind is racing with thoughts and ideas. The problem is that all of them are too broad for the scope of my project. I guess I will have to make many more trips to this amazing place to complete all that is welling up in my heart. (I will have to wait until I'm home to be able to more easily express these things.) I appreciate the people I am with who continue to bring me back into focus.

On a different note, we went out this afternoon and did a little site seeing. One of the most interesting things we saw was the building that housed the government of South Vietnam before it was "liberated." It housed the President's office and living quarters, the government offices, and the military operations center during the war. There is some fascinating history in Vietnam. There are two sides to the story, and they are very different perspectives. I was able to take some pictures that I will post when I return to the States. We also took an unfinished tour of a Buddist temple. Hopefully we will finish touring it at weeks end.

Pray for us as we begin the deal in the morning. Pray especially for Dr. Ewart.

Serving Him,
Mike

Sunday in Vietnam

2010-11-14T19:04:00.001-02:00

I was truly blessed to worship with my Vietnamese brothers and sisters. There was no translating the service into English, but it was good none-the-less. They were celebrating 48 years of ministry. The church was founded in 1962 and never closed its doors. I won't go into the history during that time, but most know what happened.

It is obvious that our Heavenly Father has blessed these believers. They have planted other churches. They are a mother church. They must have planted healthy churches because those churches have planted other churches. It is a grandmother. But it doesn't stop there; it's like the energizer bunny, they just keep going and going and going. I pray that HGBC will take on the challenge to be a healthy producer of reproducing churches. Reproduction is an indication that a body is healthy; sickness leads to infertility. Heavenly Father make us fruitful; help us to reproduce.

They have many of the same struggles the American church has, but they have a hunger to learn and obey that is uncommon back in the States. As I am hear I pray that I can learn some things that will help our church to grow more spiritually mature through obedience, as I am here for my other assignments. I greatly appreciate your prayers over the next 8 days.

Serving Him,
Mike

I lost it somewhere

2010-11-13T15:07:00.001-02:00

I did, really. I lost it somewhere. I lost Saturday somewhere on a United Airline flight from Chicago to Hong Kong. I bet I find it on the way home, but it will be Tuesday then. Since I left Jacksonville Friday morning at 6 I have been in a plane seat for over 20 hours between three flights. We just landed in Vietnam, got checked into the hotel and now I am trying to wait patiently on my wife to get on Skype so I can talk to my girls before trying to get some sleep. I haven't had much of that. I may have slept 4 hours between all my flights.

Siagon is a city alive. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for Dr. Ewart and I over the next week. We are going to a church in the morning that is celebrating 48+ years of ministry. We were told that in last weeks service it was standing room only. They have SS at 7AM and worship at 8. I am excited about being able to worship the one true God with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I'll try to keep the posts coming. Pray for us.

It All Started...

2010-11-11T01:49:00.000-02:00

Well, It all started back in October of 2004. You may ask, "what started in 2004?" The answer is the journey of the Madaris family moving to HGBC in GCS. It was during the Fall of 04 that I was asked to submit my resume to the pastor search committee. It took a while for the Lord to get everything just the way he wanted it, but Melissa and I moved here with our baby daughter Morgan on October 31, 2005. We began our ministry here the first Sunday in November of 2005. This past Sunday I began my sixth year as lead pastor of the church. We have seen our Heavenly Father do some amazing things and be so faithful to his children and his church. I am so grateful to God for allowing me to pastor his church in this place. I am so thankful for the things he has taught me since I came.  I am also looking forward to what our Heavenly Father has in store for us in the future. The sky's the limit.

I just returned from the Florida Baptist Convention in Brandon, Florida. While I was there, the messengers of the convention voted overwhelmingly to adopt the six recommendations of the Imagine If Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. I'm pumped to know that as Southern Baptists, we are refocusing on our Lord's command to make disciples to the ends of earth til the end of time.  These recommendations came on the heels of the SBC doing the same thing in Orlando back in June during the annual meeting. I pray that Florida Baptists everywhere will allow the Holy Spirit to teach them and guide them into a proper understanding of what the Great Commission is all about. I pray that Florida Baptists will faithfully lead their churches to increase CP giving so that we might send more missionaries into the field considering there are over 1.6 BILLION people who have never heard the name of Jesus redemptively. It is a sad but motivating fact that there are over 6,400 people groups with no gospel witness. We Florida Baptists and children of the most high God must take his message and his son to the nations.

With that in mind, I ask you to pray for me as I leave for Vietnam Friday.  I will be gone until the 23rd. Pray for my family as we are apart. Pray that our Heavenly Father will give me an effective time of study and ministry while I am there. And pray that the Lord Jesus will give me an opportunity to begin the disciple making process with my brothers and sisters in Christ in Vietnam. Thank you for your support and prayers.

Serving Him,
Mike

Sweetly Broken - The Passion of the Christ

2010-10-29T17:08:00.000-02:00

Devotional Reading Today

2010-10-11T16:34:00.001-02:00

I am currently reading through the OT this year as part of my devotional life, and I read some amazing passages this morning of which I would like to share some with you.

Psalm 84

1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed!
10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! (ESV)

Thanks Otter Box

2010-09-28T16:55:00.002-02:00

I have a blackberry phone and I purchased an otterbox defender case for it. I am very pleased with the case and with the company. I have had two problems with the case in the last month or so and they have helped me very quickly and without difficulty. I just wanted to say thanks Otterbox. I highly recommend them to you.

I'm leavin on a jet plane...

2010-09-21T00:08:00.001-02:00

Well it's official. I have my visa for Vietnam. We just returned from our family vacation and it was waiting for me in the mail. I am pumped! Scared to death but pumped about this opportunity. Pray with me.

Good morning Vietnam!

2010-09-10T17:52:00.003-02:00

I just did something very exciting and scary all at the same time; I just sent my passport to the Embassy of Vietnam in Washington DC in application for a visa to Vietnam. I will be flying out on November 12, 2010 and will be back on the 22nd or 23rd depending on flights. I am so excited to have this opportunity. I don't want to say to much about our trip, but I can't wait to see what comes out of it. More than anything I would appreciate your prayers leading up to and during the trip and throughout the remainder of my schooling. I will be going back to Vietnam in the Fall of 2011 to do some teaching in a school there. If anyone would like to help with the financial expenses of the trip I would appreciate it. All of the expenses are out of pocket for me so if you felt led it would be a great help to me and my family. I can say that the total cost of the two trips will be about $5000.00. I believe that this will be a life changing trip for me and those I will be there with, so pray at every opportunity. God bless.

In Christ Alone

2010-08-20T20:33:00.000-02:00

Newsletter Article

2010-06-23T14:27:00.002-02:00

Summer time is here. There is no doubt about it. One of the things I love about summer is VBS. VBS is still one of the greatest outreach and evangelistic ministries in the Southern Baptist Convention. It has been amazing to look at our campus these last few days and see the kids running around here. It’s a great week to be involved in. Each child present represents a home, they represent a family who may or may not know of the salvation Christ offers through his blood. Tonight (Wednesday night) the gospel will be shared with 100+ kids, and I’m praying that many of them will open their hearts and lives to Christ and be eternally changed. I am praying that we will take advantage of the opportunities Christ Jesus is giving us, HIS church, to Be the Church to our neighbors. I am praying that many of these homes will be answers to our prayer of seeing 50 new families come into our family this year. I pray that we have to keep our baptistery full because we begin to see a great harvest from the seeds being sown in VBS and as you take the opportunity to Be the Church to your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. I pray that God gives you an overwhelming passion for those around you who are lost without Christ. May you be the vehicle by which they hear, believe and accept the good news (the gospel) of Jesus Christ. A friend of mine, David Burton, says, “Remember, It’s only good news if they hear it in time.”

I find myself praying more for you and your families these days. I was overwhelmed by your response a few Sundays ago during my message. I believe every person in the auditorium raised your hand that you have family members and friends who are lost or don’t attend church. I find myself praying that you will have the courage to do whatever it takes to make sure that they hear how Christ has changed you. They need to hear how Christ has given you life, and that you now are able to truly live. They need to hear your story. Don’t assume they know, make sure they know. Leave no doubt. My desire is that HGBC becomes a place they want to be. But it is very obvious that they will not want to be here unless their lives are changed through a personal relationship with Christ. If this is true, I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt it is, then it is your responsibility to take the gospel to them (Mark 16:15, John 20:21). I pray you experience the joy of seeing those you love turn to Christ and experience the salvation he has extended to us through his finished work on Calvary. I love you and am praying for you as you determine to Be the Church for the glory of God.

Serving Him,

Pastor Mike

John 8:36

Band of Brothers

2010-06-01T12:06:00.002-02:00

I like stories about WWII. It is my favorite time period in history, maybe other than the old West. A TV series caught my attention last year or maybe the year before called "Band of Brothers." I believe it was originally done on HBO or something like that, but you can watch it now on other networks from time to time, especially on Memorial Day weekend and other times like that. So, yesterday I watched a few minutes of the marathon here and there. One of the things that caught my attention was the bond they shared because of their experiences together. War tends to do that.

I just got back from 8 days with my "Band of Brothers." There are six original members of my doctoral cohort at SEBTS, and we added four others. We are bound together significantly in several areas of life: our Savior, our family (the body of Christ), our ministry calling, and our educational calling. I am glad to call them brothers and I am glad to call them friends. They are a great encouragement and accountability to me. Thank you my friends. We are a "Band of Brothers." I solute you!

Poem from "Daws'

2010-05-17T11:51:00.003-02:00

Be strong!
We are not here to play, to dream, to drift;
We have hard work to do and loads to lift.
Shun not the struggle, face it, 'tis God's gift.
Be strong!
It matters not how deep intrenched the wrong,
How hard the battle goes, the day, how long,
Faint not; fight on! Tomorrow comes the song.

Taken from Betty Lee Skinner's book Daws, page 145.

Why Attend the Southern Baptist Convention?

2010-05-12T12:29:00.001-02:00

Although I am not sure at this point how I will vote concerning the GCR, read this article by Dr. Alvin Reid to see ten good reasons to attend the SBC in Orlando next month.

Why Attend the Southern Baptist Convention?

The Missional Church... simple

2010-05-11T00:24:00.000-02:00

Steps

2010-04-27T11:20:00.002-02:00

Steps are something we take every day. We walk, we talk, we make decisions, we dream dreams, we make plans, we set goal.

God has a step he wants you to take today. He wants to walk with you and talk with you. He wants to be considered as you make decisions. He wants you to dream the dreams that he has dreamed for you. He wants you to live out the plans he has made for you. He has a goal he has for you to reach.

Take your steps with him.

Reading Deuteronomy

2010-04-21T12:27:00.002-02:00

I have been reading the OT Book of Deuteronomy during my quiet time this month and I must admit I never saw how "loaded" it is. God used Moses to say some amazing things to His people that day. Chapter 26 talks about how God rescued them and saved them. Chapter 28 talks about how God will bless them if they obey Him and how He will curse them if they disobey Him. My favorite from yesterday was verse 15 in chapter 30. It says that God have given them a choice between life and good or death and evil. It's up to them to choose which they will pursue and receive. As I look at life and ministry on a daily basis I can affirm without reservation that those words are as true today as they were the day Moses spoke them. Choose wisely!

Just a thought...

2010-04-12T18:21:00.002-02:00

I had a short but interesting conversation with a guy today, and I was talking to him about one of our Be the Church events at HGBC. He was absolutely blown away that our church would do something like that for the community (I'm not telling which event in the future I talked to him about.). He was amazed that a church would even think of helping people in that way. I bet our conversation gave him a whole new perspective on Jesus and HGBC. How have you impacted the world for Christ today? It's not to late. Talk to someone.

Awesome God!

2010-03-08T16:58:00.002-02:00

We serve an awesome and amazing God. His hand is mighty and is still moving in our midst today. His desire to glorify himself through his people is unchanging, and I love to see him accomplish his purposes through us.

God honored himself, even in this difficult economic times, yesterday at HGBC. In February 2007 we launched phase one of our "Rebuilding the Walls" campaign. We launched this campaign because we believed then, and still do, that God wants to do something amazing in and through HGBC. Phase one was to eliminate the debt still remaining on our family life center. At that time we still owed about $254,000.00. We took pledges and began the journey to eliminate the debt as quickly as possible. I challenged the church to pay it off in 52 weeks (it took Nehemiah 52 days to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem). Although we didn't accomplish that goal we did pay it off this past week. I praise the Lord that he has blessed us so much in this area.

HGBC, I am so proud of you for keeping to the task and not stopping until we reached the goal. WAY TO GO!

Now it is time to move forward with phases 2 and 3 of our "Rebuilding the Wall" campaign. Phase 2 will be to continue giving so that we can set aside about $30,000.00 for maintenance purposes. We must be good stewards of the facilities God has blessed us with. This money will be used only for the purpose of upkeep and repairs that need to be taken care of. The building and grounds committee along with the Steward committee are preparing a list and schedule to follow.

Phase 3 in the campaign will be to raise about $300,000.00 to renovate the old sanctuary so that we can move our worship service back over there. This will allow us to use the family life center on a more consistent basis for what it was built for. I am so excited that God has done what he has done for HGBC. I am even more excited about what God is doing and the things on the horizon. Let's commit to keeping our eyes on Jesus and following to the end.

Ministry Fair

2010-03-01T00:31:00.003-02:00

I am declaring our ministry fair at HGBC last Sunday morning a success. I believe that the members left with a better understanding of all that we do to minister within and outside the "walls" of our church. I heard a lot of positive comments about it. I pray that we will serve with greater diligence and determination because of it. I heard someone once say, "Information is power." We have good/great information, so if that is true, we are very powerful. Let's us our "power" in obedience to the Lord Jesus by serving others. Let's make sure that everything we do has an "outward" focus and vision. Let's reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As David Burton often says, "It's only good news if they hear it in time."

Buckets of Hope for Haiti

2010-02-19T12:49:00.002-02:00

I want to encourage you to participate in the "Buckets of Hope" for Haiti. You can find all the information you need at the Florida Baptist Convention website. For less than $40 you can provide a bucket of hope for a family in Haiti. We have 50 buckets with lids at HGBC, first come first serve. Fill with ONLY the content listed, and tape $10 bucks in an envelope on the lid. They will pick them up on March 15 at the church.

www.flbaptist.org.

Funny stuff from David Platt

2010-02-18T19:42:00.002-02:00

This is hilarious from the Church at Brookhills.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbzkU7npWDg

Be The Church

2010-02-17T20:33:00.002-02:00

Well I have been preaching a series of messages entitled "Be the Church" from Acts 2:42-47. We have been looking at the five purposes of the church found there. "What is church?" Church is a place you go or something you do would be the normal response, but I believe Scripture teaches us that that is wrong. Church is who we, Christians, are. We are to "BE THE CHURCH."

We accomplish this through discipling others, evangelizing others, worshiping God with others, fellowshipping with others, and doing ministry or serving others. Did you pick up on anything right there? Fulfilling the purpose of the church, fulfilling the mission of the church means that we must have a "vision" which allows us too. God wants us to have to people captivate our vision and focus. 1) The Lord Jesus Christ must captivate our vision, if we see anyone or anything else before Him we will have missed it completely. 2) We must be captured by "others." Our vision will always be upside down and blurry if we look inwardly (look at a spoon), but if our vision has an outward focus we will see everything right-side-up and crystal clear.

HGBC BE THE CHURCH 2010

Thank God for Florida and Arkansas Baptists

2010-01-19T21:39:00.001-02:00

Haiti Update, January 19, 2010 - From Dr. John Sullivan

Subject: The Miracle of Multiplication

The Biblical miracle of the fishes and loaves had a modern day twist for the Florida Baptist Convention when it made an initial purchase of 21 tons of rice for use in Haiti relief efforts. An Arkansas Baptist church's matching gift of rice has multiplied the initial commitment into a total 84 tons of rice being earmarked for Haiti.

This miracle of multiplication started on Friday, January 15, when Executive Director John Sullivan negotiated to purchase 42,000 pounds of rice from a grain distributor in Stuttgart, Arkansas. Sullivan negotiated for a low price of $20 per hundred pound bag. With the deal confirmed, the Convention arranged to send one of its disaster relief semi-trailer units to Stuttgart to take delivery of the rice. On Monday, January 18, a second order was placed for another 21 tons of rice for delivery at the end of February.

On Tuesday, January 19, Sullivan received a call from Pastor Sam Roberts of the First Baptist Church, Stuttgart, Arkansas, who had learned of the Convention's purchase and planned use of the rice. He told of the church's mission committee authorization to purchase 42 tons of rice to supplement the Convention's commitment to feed Haitians. The combined purchase and donation brings the total commitment to 84 tons or 168,000 pounds of rice which will be distributed in Haiti as soon as possible.

Sullivan noted that the average Haitian subsists on a quarter cup of rice each day. He went on to observe that every Baptist can be a part of the Haiti relief effort by sending $20 to buy a one hundred pound bag of rice. "That one bag of rice will feed a family of four for a long time in Haiti," he explained.

Once the grain is delivered in Haiti, distribution of the rice will occur from the many Haitian Baptist churches in and around Port au Prince. Florida Baptists' 15 years of partnership and assistance provided to Haitian Baptists has resulted in a model effort to distribute food and clothing without the chaos experienced at government-controlled food distribution points.

On another developing front in the effort to aid Haitians, the U. S. government is preparing to airlift orphans and other Haitian refugees from Port au Prince to Miami. According to the Miami Herald, federal agencies are gearing up under an existing crisis plan called "Operation Vigilant Sentry," drawn up in 2003 to help prepare for any mass migration from the Caribbean. Miami-Dade officials are looking at housing the refugees in the currently closed Krome Detention Center in West Miami-Dade and the old Baptist hospital facility in Kendall.
The influx of refugees will present a unique ministry opportunity for Florida Baptists in South Florida. As a result, the Convention has directed its Church and Community Ministries personnel, led by Marc Johnston, to begin developing action plans to assist in receiving, processing and re-settlement of these Haitian refugees.

Details are few given that the situation is very fluid. However, additional information on the Convention's response will be posted on the Convention's website http://www.flbaptist.org/.

Who would have thought?

2010-01-07T21:47:00.002-02:00

Brit Hume gets support from SBC leader
Posted on Jan 7, 2010 by Erin Roach

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Fox News contributor Brit Hume continues to face sharp criticism for remarks he made about Christianity offering Tiger Woods an opportunity for redemption, but a Southern Baptist leader has expressed support for Hume's comments."In a land that supposedly cherishes freedom of speech, it is interesting to me to see how strongly persons have objected to Brit Hume's comments regarding Tiger Woods and his faith," Frank Page, immediate past president of the Southern Baptist Convention, told Baptist Press."Not only is it ironic that those same persons who trumpet free speech are so soundly criticizing Brit Hume, I want to go on record as saying I am proud of him for speaking the truth of his heart. I am applauding him and agreeing with him," Page, vice president of evangelization at the North American Mission Board, said."I am thankful he had the courage to do what he knew would be politically incorrect, but I also want to say that he spoke the truth and our prayers are with and for Tiger Woods and his family during this very difficult time. In Christ, Tiger Woods can find true redemption, forgiveness and restoration if he and his wife would seek the restoration that Christ can give."During a panel segment on "Fox News Sunday" Jan. 3, Hume said the extent to which Woods can recover personally from revelations of adultery largely depends on his faith."He's said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith," Hume said, "so my message to Tiger would be, 'Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.'"Various members of the mainstream media quickly rebuked Hume, with one comparing him to an Islamic extremist who violently believes everyone must convert to his specific religion. In an appearance on Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor" Jan. 4, Hume elaborated on his initial comments, saying Woods is a person he has long supported as a golfer and as a man."I've greatly admired him over the years, and I always have said to people that it was the content of his character that made him -- beyond his extraordinary golf skills -- so admirable. Now we know that the content of his character was not what we thought it was," Hume said.Though Woods has lost significant endorsement deals since the infidelity news surfaced, Hume said he suspects that pales in comparison to the price Woods has paid personally, especially in the loss of his family."My sense about Tiger is that he needs something that Christianity especially provides and gives and offers, and that is redemption and forgiveness. I was really meaning to say in those comments yesterday more about Christianity than anything else," Hume said."I mentioned the Buddhism only because his mother is a Buddhist and he has apparently said he is a Buddhist. I'm not sure how seriously he practices that, but I think Jesus Christ offers Tiger Woods something that Tiger Woods badly needs."His point, Hume said, was that if Woods were to make a true conversion to faith in Christ, everyone would know it."It would show through in his being, and he would know it above all. He would feel the extraordinary blessing that that would be, and it would shine because he is so prominent," Hume told Bill O'Reilly. "It would be a shining light, and I think it would be a magnificent thing to witness."In the aftermath of sharing his opinion on the Sunday talk show, Hume said he received correspondence from fellow believers who expressed support, but he also received a significant amount of criticism."I've heard a lot of unfavorable comments from people who claim that I was a pompous jerk who had no business mouthing off on this subject and that I shouldn't have belittled the Buddhist faith and so on," Hume said.When O'Reilly asked why Christianity seems to draw such ire, Hume said it has always puzzled him, but "the Bible even speaks of it, that if you speak the name Jesus Christ -- and I don't mean to make a pun here -- all hell breaks loose.""It is explosive. I didn't even say the name in that way. I simply spoke of the Christian faith, but that was enough to trigger this reaction. It triggers a very powerful reaction in people who do not share the faith and who do not believe in it," Hume said.Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, said Christianity is "the one belief the tolerant cannot tolerate."Hume "pointed out how Tiger Woods, whose sexual sins have damaged his marriage, family and career, can recover," Wright said. "It is a tried-and-true method with centuries of evidence to back it up. From Saul of Tarsus, who was intent on murdering Christians, to John Newton, captain of a slave ship, to Chuck Colson, Nixon's notorious 'hatchet man,' to millions of others who have committed less egregious transgressions.""Jesus Christ transforms people's lives," Wright said Jan. 5. "Saul became the Apostle Paul. John Newton became a pastor, penned the song 'Amazing Grace' and influenced William Wilberforce to end the slave trade. Chuck Colson went from prisoner to founder of Prison Fellowship, a ministry to the imprisoned."Wright surmised that Hume would not be so viciously criticized if he had claimed the benefits of any other religion or non-religion."It's only when a Christian speaks of the advantages of Christianity that the modern secularist goes into orbit," she said. "No Christian should silence himself from a truth known deep in his soul. Brit Hume is to be commended for his courage to speak up and take the heat. All for a very simple idea -- that God loves us and can turn our broken lives into something better, something we could never have imagined."For those interested in allowing God to turn their lives around, Baptist Press provides information on receiving redemption through Jesus Christ. Just click on the icon in the top left corner of the Baptist Press homepage, bpnews.net. Additional resources are available through the North American Mission Board's website, namb.net, by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on "Tell Me About Jesus."--30--Erin Roach is a staff writer for Baptist Press.

"We the People" by Ray Stevens

2009-12-21T20:42:00.002-02:00

You have got to check this out and pass it on!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc_-L4fyLUo

Jan-March 2010 Newsletter Article

2009-12-20T19:28:00.001-02:00

I am posting a preview of my article for our first quarter newsletter. Enjoy.

To the Church at Hickory Grove,

I can’t believe that 2009 is already gone. It doesn’t seem like enough time has passed for another year to be over, but it is and as you are reading this, it is 2010. It’s a new year, and many people approach this time with a sense of renewal and hope. We make New Year’s resolutions, we plan and we dream about how the New Year will be a different year. The sad part is that those many people seldom implement a strategy that will help them accomplish their dreams and plans for that year.

Tim, Jeth and I have been dreaming big for HGBC for 2010. We have been praying, talking and listening to the Lord and you, the body, concerning our church and we feel like we have something that will bring excitement, joy, worship and ministry to our church in the coming year. We have a theme for 2010. I mentioned it on December 13 in the morning service. The theme for 2010 at HGBC is “Being the Church.”

It is time we change the way we think about and approach church. Church is not somewhere we go; it is WHO WE ARE! We are the church. When a Christian approaches church as a place to go he is able to set aside and compartmentalize “church” into a specific place and time. Scripture tells us that we are the church, always. There is never a time when we set it aside or take it off. As a staff we are excited about the potential of this time of change in the life of the church.

I am going to be preaching a series of sermons on “Being the Church” in January and February. The series will take Acts 2:42-47 and examine the five purposes of the church. And we will, hopefully, see how we can incorporate these ministries more effectively into the life and ministry of our lives as the church. We have also settled on theme verse for 2010, I Corinthians 10:31, and even a theme song. I am so excited.

We have also begun planning four (4) days during the year where we will gather to do servant evangelism ministry projects. We will do one each quarter throughout 2010, and we will do this so that we can “Share the love of Jesus in a practical way.” I know God will bless us as we live out this year “Being the Church.”

We are also going to make a slight schedule change on Sunday evenings. Beginning in February we will be having a regular Sunday evening worship time every Sunday night. I know that this will be a welcome return to the familiar for some. In conjunction with that worship time we will also be adjusting GROW to function as it was originally intended. Each Sunday night during the worship time we will offer GROW to those who wish to participate. We will have one team each Sunday night worshipping the Lord through outreach and ministry. The staff believes that this will bring excitement and continuity to our Sunday evening worship experience. We will be putting a schedule of which GROW team will be ministering on any given Sunday night. I can’t wait to see how God blesses us as we seek out new ways to glorify Him through our acts of obedience to His word.

Serving Him,

Pastor Mike
Rom. 15:13

Dave Ramsey on Christmas

2009-12-02T14:00:00.001-02:00

No matter what your budget is this Christmas, remember to be thankful. Take a deep breath in the middle of all this craziness.
You might have a lot. You might have a little. If you are driving a beater, be thankful for that beater. You would rather drive that than walk, wouldn't you? There is always something to be thankful for.
That's what contentment is all about. When you understand and really grasp contentment, it becomes easier to save money and invest. Stress slowly disappears. Budgeting is easier. Relationships improve.
Be happy with what you have. More than three billion people, almost half the world, live on $2.50 a day. Sometimes we need a little perspective to become content with our current situation.
Without contentment, it's easy to be bitter and apathetic. Happiness is sold to us, especially during this time of year. We think if we can just get one more piece of stuff that "true" happiness will be right around the corner.
We say things like, "I'll be happy when I get that house!" or "I'll be happy when I get that new car!" But happiness cannot be bought. Sure fun—in the form of a house, a car, a new LCD television—can be bought, but fun is temporary. True happiness, or contentment, is lasting.
You can get out of debt, save money, and get on a budget, but until you realize that stuff doesn’t bring contentment, you will always feel stressed and unhappy. Contentment brings peace. And isn’t this time of year about bringing "peace on earth and good will toward men"?
Remember what this deal is all about. It's not about trees, lights, gifts, baked hams, and shopping malls. It’s about a little child who was born in a manger and grew up to die on a cross. It’s about peace on earth and good will toward men.
So if the Christmas frenzy is wearing you out, you've missed the point of Christmas. Make a plan with your money, and make a plan to get back in touch with the true meaning of this special day.
You are invited to Dave's Give Like No One Else Christmas at DaveRamsey.com. Daily giveaways and great articles will make you want to check back every day to see what's new.

Nov/Dec Newsletter Article

2009-10-30T13:22:00.001-02:00

I am posting my current article for our newsletter for those who may not receive it.

To the Church at Hickory Grove,

I am writing to you for the last time in 2009. I can’t believe 2009 is almost gone. What a year it has been! But I love this time of year; fall is here and winter is coming. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and right on it’s heals is Christmas. It’s a busy time of year, but it is such a special time as well. We have a lot of things going on, so make sure you hang on to the calendar inside so you don’t miss out on anything going on during the holiday season.

As I think of this holiday season I am draw to the realization of how thankful I am. I am thankful for the blessings God has given me in my family. Melissa is like a rock for me, and I am so thankful she has chosen to take this journey with me. There is no one I would rather walk this road with than you honey! I love you. I am also thankful for the blessings God has given me in my children. It’s hard to remember Morgan not being in our lives. She was only four months old when we came to HGBC and my how she has grown. As I write this article today, Mya turns nine months old. Time flies! She has five teeth and I’m expecting her to start running across the house any time now. I am truly a blessed man. I am thankful for the opportunity God has given me to be your pastor. He has taught me so many things, and I thank you for your patience as God continues to work on me making me into the man he wants me to be.

I am thankful for all these things and so many more, but I have saved the best for last. As this time of year quickly approaches, I am most thankful for Immanuel. I am thankful that God is not some aloof, transcendent God that can’t be known or approached. I am thankful that God is Immanuel; He is with us. But there is even something better than that. He was God among us during the time of the Old Testament. He dwelt among his people in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. While Jesus walked this earth he was Immanuel, meaning God with us. Now He is God IN US! As the old song goes, “What a difference you made in my life. What a difference you made in my life. You’re my sunshine day and night. Oh, what a difference you made in my life.”

Thank you Lord Jesus! May we never forget.
Serving Him,

Pastor Mike
Num. 6:24-26

Something I Read Today

2009-09-30T18:06:00.002-02:00

This post is from Steven Furtick, lead pastor at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. We both graduated from North Greenville College, but I haven't had the opportunity to meet him yet. But I know God is blessing his ministry and thousands of lives have changed in the process. Enjoy! And remember "Information without application and transformation is an abomination!"

Excellence: An inside jobSeptember 24th, 2009
…He overlaid (the ark) with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it…-Exodus 37:1-2

The ark of the covenant represented the presence of God. It served as the storage center for the Ten Commandments, and was Israel’s most sacred possession. It makes perfect sense to overlay the ark with gold on the outside. Everybody’s going to see that part every time it makes a public appearance. Obviously, we want to do everything we can to make God look good, and to represent him well in front of others.

But why bother overlaying the inside of the ark with gold? Wouldn’t silver suffice? Is that really necessary? Isn’t it a bit opulent? Extravagant? Wasteful? Secondary? Unproductive?
Not for a purpose as important as the presence of God. Only the best is acceptable.

I recently challenged our staff to find as many ways as possible to overlay the inside of the ark-the part of our ministry that no one sees-with gold. To give great effort to the hidden details. This doesn’t come naturally.

We’re good at getting our crap together in the high traffic areas of our ministry:Music, lighting, production, videos.But do we overlay the ark with gold in the places no one sees?Are we prompt? Do we keep our spaces clean and organized? Is our communication timely and clear?
Let’s make it more personal. Do I overlay the inside parts of my personal life with gold? Do I speak well of others at all times? Do I monitor my private thoughts…even though they aren’t projected on the big screen? Do I wear the SuperPastor cape on weekends only, or am I a loving, kind, thoughtful husband and father Monday through Friday?

It’s important to give our best to the seen and unseen places in our lives and ministries. Here’s an axiom for reflection:

When we honor God in the places no one seesHe will honor us in the places everyone sees.

Excellence is an inside job.

Vacation

2009-09-17T19:54:00.002-02:00

We're having a great time on vacation here in Orlando. It's been a very relaxing time with my family, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to spend this uninterrupted time with them. The only thing I hate is that it is coming to an end so quickly. But we will not be thinking about that just yet. My wonderful wife got us tickets to Arabian Nights for this evening and then we are headed back to see the big mouse tomorrow.

Faith Comes By Hearing

2009-09-03T12:22:00.003-02:00

This past year I was introduced to a Christian organization called Faith Comes By Hearing. This organization has an interesting ministry. They partner with Wycliffe Bible Translators and others to put the Word of God in the "heart" language of all the nations in audio format. They do this because so many of the worlds population are illiterate or are from oral based cultures. But the best thing is that they work in producing the bible in the heart language of these people. It's not that they can't speak another language, but that it means so much to the people when they hear about Jesus in the language of their birth.

HGBC is participating with Faith Comes By Hearing beginning Monday, September 14. That Monday we will begin listening to the New Testament in 40 days. We will be handing out FCBH audio versions of the NT in the KJV and NIV for adults, along with a kids version as well. All it takes to get through the whole NT in 40 days is 28 minutes a day. I have been sampling some of the work over the last few days and I love it. The listening time is made very enjoyable because it is dramatized. It's very moving to hear the Scriptures in this format, and I can say that the time flies by. I can't wait to do this with my family at home along with my church family beginning in just a few days.

I encourage you to get your audio copy of the NT and take the 40 day challenge. I believe we will all be changed as we listen to God speaking to us through his word this way. If you want to get a preview go to http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/. You can find a live stream of the entire NT there. I am also looking forward to demonstrating for you the "proclaimer" which is the device FCBH uses in the jungles, etc... to share the Scriptures with those in need of the Savior. It is solar powered and up to 300 people can listen at a time. We will be taking several love offerings in participating with FCBH. It costs $25,596.00 to produce the whole NT in a language or $948 for each book of the NT. I would love for us as a church to be able to help with at least 2 books of the NT.

I pray that as God blesses you through this time in his word that he will place within you a great desire to help with this magnificent endeavor. God bless you.

Pastor Mike

2009-08-31T14:22:00.001-02:00

Little Johnny

A teacher asked her 6th grade class how many of them were Obama fans. Not really knowing what an Obama fan is, but wanting to be liked by the teacher, all the kids raised their hands except for little Johnny. The teacher asked Little Johnny why he has decided to be different. Little Johnny said, ‘Because I’m not an Obama fan.’ The teacher asked, ‘Why aren’t you an Obama fan?’Johnny said , ‘Because I’m a Republican.’ The teacher asked him why he’s a Republican. Little Johnny answered, ‘Well, my Mom’s a Republican and my Dad’s a Republican, so I’m a Republican.’ Annoyed by this answer, the teacher asked, ‘If your mom was a moron and your dad was an idiot, what would that make you?’ With a big smile, Little Johnny replied, ‘That would make me an Obama fan.'

Thanks for the laugh Chanda.

Chambers Reloaded-August 13

2009-08-13T16:51:00.002-02:00

I broke out My Utmost for His Highest again today and Chambers was loaded for bear! The title of today's devotional is "Quench Not The Spirit." He bases it on I Thess. 5:19. His opened statement is, get ready for this, "The voice of the Spirit is...so gentle that unless you are living in perfect communion with God, you never hear it." That is powerful, don't you think?!

Have you heard Him lately?

My Utmost for His Highest

2009-08-11T13:02:00.002-02:00

I was talking to my Mom yesterday and she told me to get out my copy of Oswald Chambers devotional book My Utmost for His Highest and read the devotion from her birthdate, September 6. Below is that devotion. I was encouraged!

"Diffusiveness Of Life"
"Rivers of living water." John 7:38

A river touches places of which its source knows nothing, and Jesus says if we have received of His fullness, however small the visible measure of our lives, out of us will flow the rivers that will bless to the uttermost parts of the earth. We have nothing to do with the outflow- "This is the work of God that ye believe..." God rarely allows a soul to see how great a blessing he is.

A river is victoriously persistent, it overcomes all barriers. For a while it goes steadily on its course, then it comes to an obstacle and for a while baulked, but it soon makes a pathway round the obstacle. Or a river will drop out of sight for miles, and presently emerge again broader and grander than ever. You can see God using some lives, but into your life an obstacle has come and you do not seem to be of any use. Keep paying attention to the Source, and God will either take you round the obstacle or remove it. The river of the Spirit of God overcomes all obstacles. Never get your eyes on the obstacle or on the difficulty. The obstacle us a matter of indifference to the river which will flow steadily through you if you remember to keep right at the Source. Never allow anything to come between yourself and Jesus Christ, no emotion, or experience; nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source.

Think of the healing and far-flung rivers nursing themselves in our souls! God has been opening up marvellous truths to our minds, and every point He has opened up is an indication of the wider power of the river He will flow through us. If you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has nourished in you mighty torrents of blessing for others. -Oswald Chambers

II Chronicles 20

2009-08-08T14:37:00.002-02:00

The Lord God always gives us what we need when we need it. He does this because he loves his children, and that is what he has promise he would do in his word according to Philippians 4:19 which says "And my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

I have needed him for many things over the last few months, and he has always honored his word. I have needed him for direction, and he has given it to me. I have needed him for strength, and he has supplied it. I have needed him for encouragement, and he has blessed me with it. I have needed it for power, and there has been an abundance.

Two weeks ago now I was particularly low and was searching for the Lord, and did I ever find him. I was weak and lonely; I was struggling in almost every area of my life, and I was wondering where God was in all of this. I went on FaceBook, of all places, and one of my friends had posted a single verse from the Old Testament. The verse was II Chronicles 20:17, "'You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you." I immediately got my sword out and went to the chapter because I had to know the context of the verse, although God my Father had already used it mightily in my heart.

The context is that King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah are about to be attacked by the enemy of God: Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir (the people of). The king seeks God's face and calls for the people to fast and pray. They respond, positively, to the kings request, and because they seek God's face God answers their prayer. (See verse 17 above). They go out the next day just as God told them and see God fight the battle for them. The enemies of God are destroyed completely, and God allows the people to gather the spoils of battle. God blesses them so much that it takes them three (3) days to gather all that God has blessed them with because the obeyed the Lord their God.

God has given me a great peace in the middle of all the turmoil of my life. Once again God has reminded me that he will be my defender; he will fight the fight for me if I will obey him and seek his face. I will trust in the Lord God my defender! I will trust him with my life. I will lead his people to follow his path, but I will not force them to follow him. And in the end I am at peace knowing that I have done what he has called me to do.

Serving Him and no other,
Mike

Morgan's big catch

2009-07-10T01:11:00.002-02:00

I took Morgan out fishing Monday evening after work and we had a blast. Steve Ard and his daughter Anne went with us and we caught a few croker, but Morgan and I caught a really nice Redfish. As a matter of fact it was a 26.25 inch redfish. I was so proud of her for working on that fish for all she was worth, and then I got to finish him off after she wore him down. I'll put a picture up for you to see. Great memories!

a First for Morgan

2009-06-19T00:58:00.002-02:00

I had the distinct pleasure of taking my three year old daughter Morgan fishing today; it was her first trip, but it will not be the last. It was our second time out in our "new" boat, and we had a blast as the sun went down on the St. Johns River. Morgan reeled in 4 fish, and was smiling from ear to ear. It kinda made me smile just a little too. I can't wait to do it all over again.

Prayer Requests

2009-06-14T01:34:00.002-02:00

I have several prayer requests I would like for you to lift up with me:

1) I have a friend and his family who are hurting in a terrible way, God knows who they are; please pray for them.

2) Please pray for the financial situation at our church, we are trusting our Head, but we must also make some very difficult decisions.

3)Please pray that God will raise up prayer support (7 teams) for our church:
a. Pray for all the leadership of HGBC along with their families.
b. Pray for our outreach strategy GROW.
c. Pray Matthew 9:37-38 for HGBC.
d. Pray that HGBC will have a John 4:35 urgency.

4) Pray for VBS June 21-26
a. We still need workers.
b. We still need teachers.
c. Pray for the children and families who will be touched and eternally changed.

Anticipation

2009-05-21T20:23:00.002-02:00

I am having feelings of anticipation and some fear "of the unknown" as I make my final preparations for my first DMin seminar at SEBTS next week. I will be in class Monday (Memorial Day?) through Friday and then have to make the long trip back so Melissa can work on Saturday.

I have read close to 2700 pages for this seminar since the second week in April. I have written three book reviews and will write the 4th tonight (hopefully). I have completed my research for a 10-12 page paper analyzing the evangelism and missions effectiveness of HGBC, and developing a strategy for improvement in these areas. Needless to say, "my eyes have been opened" to some great possibilities if the Lord allows.

I am hoping to have some company for most of the journey Sunday afternoon, and I would greatly appreciate your prayers for my family and me during this next week and a half. God bless you.

Pastor Mike

these days

2009-05-12T12:46:00.002-02:00

It seems that all I'm up to these days is: reading, writing, studying, and asking people for money (for our sportsman's event "Released"). You got any you want to give?

My girls are doing great. They went over to the World Golf Village yesterday, without me!!, to go swimming for a while. They had a great time. I missed it. So sad!

Melissa and I are "enjoying" working out together. We are doing Power90, and it seems to be pretty good. I know I'm sore, so it must be working. I can't imagine how it would be if I hadn't been working out already since Christmas. At day 30 I will post some before and after pictures as proof (Hopefully).

Twitter

2009-05-08T18:00:00.001-02:00

I don't know why at this point, but I just created a twitter account. Look me up if you want to.

Baptist Press Article

2009-05-05T20:49:00.001-02:00

I wonder what the response will be to this statement by Tim Patterson, chairman of the board of NAMB. There is an article by Baptist Press today that you should read. You should be able to find it here:
www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=30426.

I believe it would be a good idea and a step towards better stewardship of what God has given us as Southern Baptist.

Book Review #3

2009-05-01T15:40:00.001-02:00

The Radical Reformission: Reaching Out Without Selling Out, by Mark Driscoll. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004. 200 pages. Reviewed by Michael T. Madaris.

The Radical Reformission is written by Mark Driscoll, a seemingly controversial pastor in Southern Baptist life. I chose to write a review of this book because of this controversy and the little information I had concerning Mark and his thoughts, ideas, and methods of ministry.

Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. He is the co-founder of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network, and also founded a co-op called the Resurgence, which is an organization that hosts conferences and provides theological training (www.theresurgence.com). He holds a Master’s degree in Exegetical Theology from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in biblical studies. Seattle magazine named Pastor Mark one the twenty-five most powerful people in Seattle, and The Church Report and Christianity Today have recognized him as one the most influential pastors in America. He has also written numerous books, and lives in Seattle with his wife and five children.

Driscoll begins the Radical Reformission by giving the reader his personal salvation testimony and subsequent call to ministry. As he tells his story the reader begins to catch a glimpse of where the journey is headed. He states that he is “presenting this book as a contribution toward the furtherance of the emerging church in the emerging culture” (17). He goes on to say that this offering is made up of the insights he has gleaned from his experiences and the people he has come into contact with.

This “reformission” Driscoll calls for is a call for the church of today to be “faithful to the scriptural texts and to the cultural contexts of America” (18). This is not a call to abandon foreign missions but to be missional in every culture and context, including and beginning in the readers own community.

The theme of being missional is a recurring theme in many books today written about the church. It is not a new idea by any means, but it is a long forgot theme and strategy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Driscoll makes some excellent points concerning this missional theme: it was the strategy of Jesus during his earthly ministry, it was the strategy of the Apostles and the early church in the book of Acts. But Driscoll takes this theme and doesn’t just slide down a slippery slope; he seemingly jumps off a ledge of no return.

He uses pictures at the beginning of each chapter to give the reader a visual of where he is going as he writes, and the first picture he uses is a picture of a beer mug full of beer. Keep in mind this is the chapter in which he begins with the very first word being “Jesus.” He states, “The first word of this book must be Jesus, because everything, reformission included, begins and ends with him” (27). It is easy to agree with this concept and his statement, but it is difficult, in my opinion, to see how the visual and the statement work in cooperation with each other.

The consumption of alcohol and the “biblical” basis for it by Christ followers is a thread which runs throughout the entirety of The Radical Reformission, and it is a very radical idea indeed. He in no way takes away from the authority of Christ or Scripture, he in no way attempts to undermine the message and power of the gospel, he is theologically accurate in his correlation of Scripture with practical application in a ministry setting. But the issue of alcohol consumption is a point of discussion and interest throughout the entire book.

Sex is another issue that is referenced quite frequently by Driscoll. He connects the issue of alcohol and sex, for the most part, with the same argument. His argument is that today’s church has the hang-ups it does concerning these two “hot topics” because of misunderstandings of Scripture and church history. His basic conclusion concerning these two issues is that if the church would get its history and theology correct, it would release Christians to enjoy and “feast” and worship God as He intended His children to do from the beginning. I will state that Driscoll does hold to a very strict theological position on sexual intercourse being for married couples only.

One issue that Driscoll handles excellently is the sin of self-righteousness. “The bottom line is we are all self-righteous. We are all prone to secretly believe that we are somehow better than others because of the things we do or do not do” (77-78). The reader will appreciate his biblical approach to this rebellious attitude toward God and others. He calls for Christians to repent of the sin of self-righteousness. He argues that as long as the church refuses to repent of this sin she will never be able to effectively present the gospel to all those Jesus gave life for. He states it in this manner, “As long as Christians fail to repent of self-righteousness, we will continue to speak of evangelism in terms such as ‘outreach,’ which implies we will not embrace lost people but will keep them at least an arm’s length away” (78). This attitude prevails in the church because the membership has come to see themselves as “clean” and those outside the church as “dirty,” and church members do not want to get “dirty.”

Another issue which Driscoll handles biblically is his discussion throughout the book with culture, especially contemporary culture. He and others like him call the church be culturally relevant. To Driscoll this means that the church should study the culture to grasp the “language” being spoken, and then present the timeless truths of Scripture in that cultural language. He acknowledges that this will look very different in Seattle where he is on mission than it will in the Deep South, Midwest or Northern parts of our county and around the world. To be missional the church must evaluate where she is and what will be the necessary methodology to reach our “Jerusalem” (Acts 1:8). He argues, and rightly so, that what he is doing in Seattle will not work every where else, practically, although his methodology or the principles he uses as a foundation will work, because to Driscoll, he is being biblically accurate in everything he does and teaches. There are many in Southern Baptist life, including myself, and other Christians, like Dr. John MacArthur, who do not think that Driscoll’s practical methodology concerning alcohol consumption is biblically correct.

Driscoll makes an attention getting statement in dealing with the idea of redeeming culture when he says, “The Bible clearly teaches that we do what we are. It also repeated teaches that our sin comes from our hearts, the center of who we are. Our hearts are a rock band, and culture is a loudspeaker, and if we don’t like the music, spending lots of money to fund organizations to ‘fix’ the speakers won’t change the tune” (109). Another way of saying this is “the heart of the problem is a problem with the heart,” and until the heart of the culture is changed through a radical relationship with Jesus, the same old music will continue to be heard.

One of the best arguments made by Driscoll is found in chapter five when he deals with “connecting with culture in reformission.” He does an excellent job of demonstrating the biblical mandate of immersing oneself in the surrounding culture while remaining in a state of Christian purity. This idea is most easily understood from the perspective of the biblical principle “be in the world but not of the world.” I John 2:15 says “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (NKJV). And Jesus said, “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:18, NKJV).

Driscoll highlights Paul’s ministry in Athens as recorded in Acts 17:16-34 and his message to those present at Mars Hill. Paul took their cultural perspectives and belief systems and used them to present the truth of the gospel to them. He did not speak to them from a Jewish perspective; he did not begin by declaring to them the Law of Moses. He met them where they were and led them to the cross, and just as Paul ministered in this way wherever he went, so must the people of God today. The church must be culturally relevant. She must understand her culture well enough to be “in” it without becoming worldly in the process, without becoming tainted by the sins of the culture. Driscoll states, “Paul courageously stood alone to proclaim the gospel, beginning by respectfully establishing common ground with his hearers so he could work from their culture to the Scriptures. His method was the reverse of his approach in the synagogue, where he worked from Scripture to the culture” (119).

Driscoll does a good job of furthering his position of “cultural reformission” by using Daniel as an example of being culturally relevant while remaining spiritually pure. The story does not need to be retold, but the principle is definitely present. Daniel and his friends are praised for their faithful stance and honor of God, but most do not at the same time see how these young men influenced their culture by faithfully performing the tasks assigned them by the Babylonian government. They did their jobs to the best of their ability while remaining faithful to God until such time as the two came into conflict, at which time they continued to honor God no matter the consequence. This is what is needed in our local culture, our nation and our world today. Christ followers who are willing to stand for Christ no matter the consequence.

There are many quality ideas found within the pages of The Radical Reformission. Driscoll does an excellent job of presenting the biblical mandate to transform our culture and redeem the time. It is impossible to argue against these principles. But the linking of these things with the idea of the Christian consumption of alcohol is a detriment to the kingdom of God.

He takes the time to present the biblical argument against drunkenness (147); he gives twenty problems caused by drunkenness (148); he states that there are three positions being taking in Christendom concerning alcohol (149-150). He then lists six times or “occasions to drink alcohol in moderation” (150), and promotes the consumption of alcohol among believers. In my opinion these do not add up. This is a debate that will never die in Christian circles. There will always be those who want to walk as close to “the cliff” as they can trying not to fall off, and in doing so will always lead others to do the same thing. The point which seems to be missed is that some have better “balance” than others. It is not that Christians cannot drink alcohol, but should they, in light of those who are watching.

I would recommend this book to those seeking to make a difference in the Kingdom by making a difference in their community, but I do have some reservations because of the almost constant discussion and approval of alcohol consumption. God help us.

HGBC Newsletter May-June 09

2009-04-21T00:35:00.001-02:00

To the Saints of God at HGBC,

As most of you know I have begun working on my Doctor of Ministry degree at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. My first seminar is at the end of May so I would appreciate your prayers as I attempt to get all my reading and writing done. I am studying in the field of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth, and I have been blessed already by the books I have read and am reading.

One of the major themes in this field of study today is focused around the word “missional.” You might be asking what is “missional?” I’m glad you asked. Missional is the adjective form of the noun mission or missionary. The concept that is being discussed and promoted is that of every Christ follower looking at his own neighborhood, community and church as a missionary. “What does this mean?” you might be asking. Well, let me ask you a question, “What do you think a missionary does?”

I believe it is the task of the missionary to study his “new” environment and culture, learn it, and seek to present the gospel of Christ in a way that those in this “new” culture will hear, understand and receive the message. It means the missionary must learn the language. It means the missionary must adapt himself and his method’s to them rather than asking them to adapt themselves to him. In other words, the missionary’s job is not to make them look, dress, talk and act like Americans, but he is to adapt to their way of living. Be very careful at this point, this is NOT a call to compromise the teaching of Scripture. A Christ follower should never compromise his beliefs or his behavior, according to the clear teaching of Scripture, for any reason at all, even to the point of death.

With this in mind let me ask you a few questions. The first question is “Are you a ‘missional’ Christian?” I believe being “missional” is exactly what the Great Commission calls you and me to be. Mark 16:15 tells us “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every person.” It is not their responsibility to come to us, we are to go to them. We are not to attempt to make them like us, we are to make ourselves and teach them to be like Jesus. Being “missional” is exactly what Jesus did for you and me according to Philippians 2:5-8, “5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6. who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7. but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in THE LIKENESS OF MEN. 8. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (NKJV). If this is the method/mode of operation for Jesus Christ in dealing with us, shouldn’t it be the M/O of every one of us as well? I believe the answer is yes.

The second question is “Are you willing to make the necessary changes in your own life so that you can become a ‘missional’ Christ follower?” This is a very important question that each of us answers on a daily basis. May the decisions we make bring honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ (I Cor. 10:31).

The last question is “Are you willing to make the necessary changes so that HGBC can become a ‘missional’ church?” You might be asking, “Aren’t we a ‘missional’ church already?” I encourage you to look back over what we have defined as “missional” already as you ponder whether or not HGBC is a “missional” church. I ask you, “Are we willing to do what ever is necessary to reach out to the lost in our community or do we want them to change to look and be like us?” “Are we willing to lay down our personal preferences so that we can present the message of the Savior to those who don’t share our “taste” for things, whether it is music, times for worship, dress, or anything else?” I believe that these are the things that we are being called to do by our Commander-in-Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I pray that we all are willing to reach the unreached whatever the cost. May God bless us as we seek to serve Him, not ourselves, in Green Cove Springs and around this world.

Serving Him,

Pastor Mike
Phil. 1:21

"Comeback Churches" review #2

2009-04-15T18:07:00.001-02:00

Comeback Churches: How 300 Churches Turned Around and Yours Can Too, by Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2007. 219 pages. Reviewed by Michael T. Madaris.

Comeback Churches by Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson has been sitting on my bookshelf for quite some time, almost a year now. It is one of those books that a pastor buys with the best of intentions but never gets around to reading. I chose to write a review of this book because it addresses the very circumstance I find myself in as a pastor. It will be an asset to any pastor or leader who is seeking to bring about significant change in his church.
Ed Stetzer is an author, educator, church planter and pastor. He holds two masters and two doctoral degrees, and is currently employed by the North American Mission Board where he is the senior director of the Center for Missional Research. He lives in Nashville, TN. with his wife and three daughters.
Mike Dodson is a pastor and has been a church strategist for more than ten years. He holds a Doctor of Missiology degree, and lives with his wife and children in Meadville, PA.
Stetzer and Dodson lead the reader on very exciting and difficult journey. It is a journey of transition and change. Change is difficult and scary for any person in any context, but the stakes are exponentially increased when the context is church. Stetzer and Dodson demonstrate this throughout the book, and their point is highlighted by the statistical fact that most churches are plateaued or declining. Comeback Churches was written from the researching of three hundred and twenty-four churches from ten denominations that made a “comeback.” They state that they wrote the book to be a practical, applicable inspiration for those leading churches in need of a “comeback.” “We celebrate those comebacks because they inspire us to believe that seemingly impossible things really are possible. That’s why we wrote this book” (ix). They want to help churches make the “comeback” after being in a state of plateau or decline. “This is not a book of statistics. It is ultimately a book of practical advice-advice from more than three hundred churches and advice from your two authors” (xiv).
Stetzer and Dodson begin Comeback Churches by “examining what a church should be. That is the goal, as we see it…” (1). They immediately launch into the biblical idea of church, looking at passages of Scripture from Ephesians, Matthew, Acts and Revelation. This was a very important step in the writing of this book because to lay a false foundation would negate the concepts of the book completely. Their desire in writing Comeback Churches is developed from their belief that churches should be biblical in nature, character and context.
In reading this book one will come to the determination quickly that following Scripture is a priority for the authors and it is their opinion that the church should follow Scripture also. They give the reader six biblical criteria for the church: 1) Scriptural authority, 2) Biblical leadership, 3) Preaching and teaching, 4) Ordinances, 5) Covenant community, and 6) Mission. These are the biblical foundation of the church, and these criteria were a vital part of each of these “comeback churches.” It would be quite difficult to find anything to critique at this point.
There is a great deal of material covered and many ideas given to the reader concerning leading a church through the transitions needed in making a “comeback.” Of the three hundred and twenty-four churches participating, the vast majority said leadership was the most critical piece of the puzzle in making the changes necessary to produce a “comeback.” They suggest that “Being a good leader means being a godly person of influence. Comeback leaders influence their churches to strive for something more than the present stagnation” (29).
Someone once said that everything rises and falls on leadership and most have come to realize that this is true. It is good to know, at this point, that Stetzer and Dodson make a distinction between influence and manipulation. Quoting Erwin McManus they argue that manipulation is evil, while “influence is the best way to lead and move others toward what is good” (29). The concept of influence is not new in terms of leadership, but in reading some authors it is difficult to determine whether they are discussing manipulation or influence. Stetzer and Dodson do an excellent job of differentiating between the two and defending the use of influence over manipulation.
Another point made by Stetzer and Dodson is the fact that for a church to make a “comeback” those who make up the church must be involved in the process. The pastor/leader must cast the vision to the church in such a way that the members take ownership of the vision and take the steps necessary to bring about the needed change. Every pastor should know that it is impossible to bring about change in the church without the support of the “native” leaders. It is at this point that Stetzer and Dodson deal with the subject of communication in the church (30).
Communication is a very vital aspect of the ideas surrounding Comeback Churches. “Churches wanting change must discuss, discuss, discuss” (30). The majority of the church must acknowledge its current state before it will be ready to move forward. Communication should in the end lead to decisions, strategy and action. It is not enough to know change is needed, one must take action that will bring about the desired results.
One of the most critical concepts dealt with in Comeback Churches is found in dealing with what Stetzer and Dodson refer to as the “Three Faith Factors.” It is impossible to bring about the changes needed to make a plateaued or declining church a “comeback” church without faith. The three faith factors are: 1) “a renewed belief in Jesus Christ and the mission of the church, 2) a renewed attitude for servanthood, and 3) a more strategic prayer effort” (55). One of the things most readers will appreciate about this book is its “common sense” perspective. Stetzer and Dodson are not trying to “reinvent the wheel,” they are just taking solid biblical principles and reintroducing them in light of the current condition of the church in North America, especially the United States. The discussion of the faith factors is essential in keeping with the expressed desires of the authors for the book, keeping in mind that “without faith it is impossible to please Him…” (Heb. 11:6, NKJV).
Prayer is the other key essential taken from the book if one desires to lead his church to be a “comeback church.” Stetzer and Dodson do more than discuss prayer from a theological perspective, but they give the reader some practical ideas for cultivating a desire in the people of God to pray. The ideas are helpful, and adequate examples of their effectiveness are given. They use I Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray constantly” and quote John Ortberg who says “Prayer is a learned behavior. Nobody is born an expert at it. No one ever masters prayer” (69). This is a difficult concept to remember and master, but Christians are encouraged to continue praying through the difficult times because of the results of prayer.
Stetzer and Dodson discuss relevant issues in leading churches to make a “comeback” like preaching and worship which seem to be somewhat easy changes to make if necessary,
preaching being a much easier transition than worship. But one of the most difficult transitions to make in the church is in the area of evangelism and missions. One of the words that is used over and over again in the book is strategy. The reader is encouraged to develop a new strategy in the area of evangelism and mission. They give examples of churches that were able to make great strides in reaching out to their lost communities, but they failed to give examples of what types of strategies these churches used. It is stated on several different occasions that this is not a “cookie cutter” presentation, but it would be an added bonus to look at the exact process some of these “comeback churches” used that worked and did not work. This is one of the few faults that I have with this book and others like it. It is practical but too general at times. It would have been more helpful if, in only an instance or two, they presented explicit detail of the strategies, etc… which led to the turn around of these churches.
Stetzer and Dodson make some very simple and yet profound arguments in the chapter dealing with the top factors and the biggest challenges facing a church looking to make a change, looking to reach their community for Christ, looking to make a “comeback.” It is not surprising that churches looking to make the change need to focus on prayer, evangelism and preaching, but what was shocking were obstacles that must be overcome by churches looking to reassert themselves into their culture and world.
According to Stetzer and Dodson the three biggest obstacles to overcome are attitudes, finances and facilities. It is easy to see that the facilities of church might keep them from making a greater impact on their community, and every church deals with the financial pressures of maintaining and growing a church budget in a godly way. But there is tremendous spiritual insight exhibited in their discussion of attitude. At this point the authors are dealing with the attitude of whole church, and to demonstrate the different attitudes Gary McIntosh’s book One Size Doesn’t Fit All is quoted.
The attitude of small and medium size churches that might keep them from being successful in God’s eyes is presented. This is a very helpful section of the book in that it highlights the different thought processes that are underlying in the local church culture. McIntosh goes on to demonstrate that each church must be studied and worked in individually although there are some general characteristics that make up each type of church.
I am glad I read Comeback Churches. It has given me, as a pastor, some great ideas and direction as I seek to lead my church to become missional in her mindset and behavior. Stetzer and Dodson do an excellent job of presenting their ideas and research. I believe every church, leader and pastor should keep it in front of them as a reminder of where he is and where he should be headed.
It is hard to critique a book that you find little wrong with. Stetzer and Dodson do an excellent job of keeping the teachings of Scripture concerning the church, not as an afterthought, but at the forefront of all they say. They used the information they received from the participating churches in a way that is beneficial and encouraging. They accomplish what they set out to do. They inspire the reader to step up and lead. They encourage the reader to do what is necessary to lead their church to be a “comeback church.”
My one regret with the book is that I believe it could have given more detail as to the strategies used by those churches that have already made the “comeback” and have maintained and exceeded the growth. At times Comeback Churches was too general in content. I would have liked for them to say “We began to pray, these are the obstacles we faced, and this is how we overcame them. We implemented FAITH evangelism, but it took us this long to see any results because of this opposition.” This type of information is part of what I am looking for when I read books like Comeback Churches.

"Breaking the Missional Code"

2009-04-15T00:07:00.003-02:00

My mom asked me to put my first book review on here so here it is:

Breaking the Missional Code: Your Church Can Become a Missionary in Your Community, by
Ed Stetzer and David Putnam. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2006. 240 pages. Reviewed by Michael T. Madaris.

Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer and David Putnam is a book I have had on my shelf for quite some time now, but had never gotten around to reading. I chose to write a review of this book because, in the end, what is meant by “breaking the code” is an issue close to my heart and ministry.
Ed Stetzer is an author, educator, church planter and pastor. He holds a Ph.D. and is, at the time of the writing of this book, employed by the North American Mission Board. He is also currently the co-pastor of Lake Ridge Church, and resides in Cumming, Georgia with his wife and three daughters. David Putnam is the cofounder of ChurchPlanters.com. He is a sought after leader/coach and consultant with “new and emerging churches across North America.” He is one of the pastors at Mountain Lake Church, and resides with his wife and two children in Cumming, Georgia.
Stetzer and Putnam embark on and lead a discussion of the great journey of transition for the local church in the context of North America, especially in the United States. Many churches are being successful in fulfilling the Great Commission while other, seemingly similar, churches are having little to no success at all. They state that the reason for this success or lack thereof is determined by whether the church “breaks the code” or not. The purpose in writing is to assist the reader in being able to come to terms with the “glocal” context of his ministry, put into practice the universal principles of “breaking the code,” and determine what strategies and methods will most greatly be received in one’s cultural context. This is necessary because of the transitions taking place all around us. Change is coming and has come, while many churches have failed to recognize the change and adapt its ministry to continue making an impact in the culture.
According to Stetzer and Putnam for the church to make the difference needed in our culture, the church must change its way of thinking concerning the philosophy and methodology of ministry. The church must begin to approach ministry from the perspective of “foreign missions.” They argue that the church is no longer just part of a local culture seeking to impact local and distant cultures, but the church is now part of the “glocal” culture. There is no distinction or separation. The church must approach its “local” context just as a person living on foreign soil seeking to impact that culture, people group and context. The church must do more than develop an understanding of “missional thinking,” it must cultivate and develop a “commitment to apply ‘missional’ thinking as well” (3).
Stetzer and Putnam begin by discussing their idea of the “glocal” context. They argue that it is the responsibility of the believer and the church to determine the culture barriers keeping people from becoming disciples of Christ, and strategically breaking those barriers down. They use the word “glocal” to “refer to the convergence of the global reality with our local reality” (5). The church must adapt to this new cultural change. At one time in the history of the church in North America all that was required of the church was to be there because many in the community had some type of connection with or to the church, but this is no longer the case. The church must be proactive in going to where the people are if she is to impact the people, the culture and the world.
This is a very good point in the discussion of the church and fulfilling her marching orders left by her commander and head, Christ Jesus. This is a great, difficult but much needed change in the life of the local church. It is sad to know that this change needs to take place at all. If the church had been led to follow the Great Commission all along, she would already be involved in cultural revolution for Christ rather than seeing the necessity for it now. A good question to ask now to prevent a relapse to her former ways would be “What decisions and practices led to the current condition of the average church, and more specifically, in Southern Baptist life?”
Stetzer and Putnam spend a great deal of time introducing, defining and detailing the dilemma the church faces in dealing with and reaching the Unchurched. This is a group in our culture that has no affiliation with the body of Christ at all. They have no understanding of the church, why she exists or what her purpose is. The modern church, for the most part, still operates under the assumption of “If we build it they will come.” But that is not the case in this “glocal” context. If they are to be reached, the church must leave its seats, walls, buildings and comfort and go to where the people are. The church must take Christ to them. She must learn the “heart language” of the culture surrounding her. She must speak the message of Christ to them in the language they understand. This does not imply that the message needs to be changed, but if the church is to reach the unchurched, she must “speak” the language.
“Breaking the code” is a universal principle that must be applied locally. As Stetzer and Putnam continue they highlight several churches from around the country that are “breaking the code.” But they point out that none of the churches are using a “cookie cutter” method. Each pastor, leader and church has considered their own local culture, learned the language and then launched out into their own community with the life changing message of the gospel. What works in Washington State will not necessarily work in Atlanta and visa versa. What has worked for Rick Warren will not necessarily work in Texas. The principles these “successful” churches use in reaching their culture is what needs to be studied and learned. Then the student must adapt the principles to his own environment, and seek to minister to those who live in around him.
All of this is done, all of the energy is expended, all the study time is committed for one reason and one reason only; it is exactly what Jesus Christ has commanded us to do. There are five passages of Scripture that reveal the spoken marching orders of every Christian and church. The church refers to them as the Great Commission passages. The most specific is found in Matthew 28:18-20. In this passage of Scripture Jesus tells his disciples exactly what is expected of them. “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (NKJV). How does the church respond to this command and how should the church respond to this command? The point Stetzer and Putnam make at this point is that this is not optional for the church. Marching orders for the soldier never are; it is commanded of him, and the expectation is that those orders will be followed to the letter.
This is an excellent and correct observation by writer and any student of Scripture. It is the expectation of Christ that every follower or believer become a disciple and change the world. It is the pattern Christ followed in his earthly ministry, it is the pattern the twelve apostles followed, and it worked. The intention of Christ was and is the building of people into world-impacting, world-changing disciples. This is what “breaking the code” is all about. It should be the heart of every Christian and church in the world, transforming our culture one life and heart at a time.
Stetzer and Putnam argue that building relationships is the best way to “break the code.” It is done by face to face, one on one time spent with others. Eating with them, playing with them, laughing with them and crying with them, it is in letting them see Jesus in what the Christian does that draws the unchurched to Christ.
There are many quality ideas found in Breaking the Missional Code. It was refreshing to read a book that actually spent as much time with application as with theory. It discussed transitions made by churches who found “success” in the relational ministry of “code breaking.” One of the best points made by Stetzer and Putnam at this point was that you have to know your own church culture and the culture of your community. Changing your music, your look or your style will not automatically mean success. They argue that God’s calling is specific: to a specific place and to a specific people. As you sense His calling, approach it as any Christian would who is going to a foreign country. It is not about personal preference, but it is about presenting the gospel in a way that those around you will be receptive to it. The gospel is offensive enough on its own.
One of my favorite parts of the book was the chapter on process. In this chapter Stetzer and Putnam give a step-by-step process of “breaking the code.” Many of the examples given are from personal experiences while church planting. This chapter is worth the cost of the book for those who catch the vision of the Great Commission as it pertains to planting churches and leading churches that impact their culture and the world.
As I began reading the book I was somewhat frustrated. There was great emphasis placed on the concept of being “missional.” My struggle with this concept was great and to a certain extent remains so. I struggle with the concepts or terminology of Breaking the Missional Code in light of the Great Commission passages. Does the Great Commission call the Christian and the Church to make disciples or is it a call to missions? I answer that it is not a call to missions but a call to disciple-making. Upon completion of the book I believe that disciple-making is what is meant when Stetzer and Putnam write, but that was not clear in the beginning. Missions is part of the Great Commission just as evangelism and church planting are, but these are only parts of the marching orders of Christ. The command of Christ found in Scripture is to “make disciples of all the nations.” If the church focuses on missions, evangelism or church planting alone, she will never fulfill the only command of this nature in the Bible. But if she has in her view the building of people into disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, then missions, evangelism and church planting will most certainly be accomplished.
I agree that it is the call of the church to invade our culture. It is the responsibility of the church to study her environment locally and globally. She must always be prepared to give a defense of the gospel. She must not only learn the language of her “glocal” context, but speak the language, and speak it loudly, kindly, graciously and mercifully.
I am encouraged by the concept and strategy of thinking and approaching your ministry setting contextually as though you were on foreign soil. It is a necessary task, and one that is very difficult in nature. One might think that it is too difficult to transition an established church who has lost sight of being on mission into a missional church, but I believe it is no more difficult than what we ask our IMB missionaries to accomplish in their ministry context. It is the call of Christ, it is the command of Christ, and every good soldier follows orders.

A Tale of Two Turkeys

2009-04-03T17:02:00.003-02:00

Last Saturday morning started very early, the alarm startled me out of my slumber at 5:30am. The reason for my unusual wake up time was that the turkey woods were calling my name, Osceola turkeys to be exact! I had an appointment with destiny and Steve Ard, a member of my church and a good friend. I was to meet him at 6:30 so I had to get going.

We started out hunting at one of my deacons houses, Eric Rendell. We hunting until about 10:15 with no luck at all. We didn't hear anything. We walked the property hunting hard, but the wind was making it very difficult. We thought we heard some turkeys, but maybe not. Who knows? We dropped by McDonald's for some grub, and then headed out to Steve's hunting club. We were met at the gate by another member of the club who gave us a heads up that he had just seen some turkeys, so we made a b-line in their direction. After about 30 minutes of being split up, I walked back out to where Steve was set up, the wind was blowing pretty steady. As I came out of the cut-through that I had been on I looked down the road. 450 yards away was a turkey. I dropped down into the ditch and got my binoculars out of my vest. When they came into focus I saw RED on the head, and knew it was game time. Steve came up to where I was and we made a very quick game plan. I hit my Lynch's Fool Proof box call a few times, trying to cut through the wind, and it worked. We hit the Pine trees and began to cut the distance down quickly, about 200 yards. What we didn't know was the turkey had hit the trees on the other side of the road and did the same thing. I poked my head out and didn't see anything, my senses were on high alert and I was looking hard. All of a sudden, Steve said "TURKEY!" I was really looking hard, but in the wrong the direction. I was looking down the road and the turkey was in the ditch about 15 yards away from me. He saw something he didn't like and ran off down the road and back into the woods.

I tried to hide myself as best I could in the ditch and started studying the tree line across the dirt road. All of a sudden I saw his red head about 100 yards down the road. He busted out of the trees and across the road. I hit my box call a few more times. Then he appeared, on my side of the road, in the same ditch I was sitting in, and he was coming my way. Steve was on my right shoulder, and we were both very excited. As the jake came closer, my emotions got the best of me. He kept coming closer and closer. I thought he was about 30 yards away and I sent an angry swarm of number 4's his direction and cut him a flip or two. He flopped around for a minute, but my first turkey was down.

Steve and I met again on Monday morning at 6:30am for what would be a short morning of hunting. We were through the gate of the club by 6:40 and set up before first light. As the glorious morning began to break, the gobblers began to do their thing. Can I just say, "there's nothing like a gobbler sounding off at first light!" It wasn't very long and we had 4 jakes coming to our spread of decoy's. They were coming from Steve's direction, he finally saw them and dropped on of them in his tracks. As we went out to retrieve Steve's jake, I looked down the road to the same spot as Saturday, and what do you think was at the other end but a turkey. It was too foggy to see clearly even with binoculars, so we ducked back in the woods and set up for round two of the morning. We hadn't had time to grab Steve's bird.

The hen came down the road in about 10 minutes time, but she wouldn't come past the dead bird laying in the road. As she walked away, I heard the distinct gobble of a mature "Tom." I whispered to Steve, "We've got to get that bird out of the road." And off he went. He got to the edge of the woods and did a very effective belly crawl to the middle of the road, grabbed the jake and slid back into the woods.

About five minutes after he got settled back in, I hit my slate call and the Tom sounded off again. He was CLOSER this time. I hot the slate for a few more yelps, and then caught movement out of my left eye. "Tom" turkey had locked on our decoys, went into a full strut, and came running. My gun was on the wrong side of the tree so I slowly moved it to the correct side, but he was moving to fast and I didn't get a shot on the left side, so now I had to move my gun back to the right side with eagle eye Tom within 25 yards and closing fast. I got it moved undetected, he kept coming. He passed the tree and was now in plane view, at a dead run in full strut. Let's just say he never knew what hit him! Those three inch magnum number 4's did their job, and in less than eight hours of combined hunting I had called in and killed my first two turkeys, and had called in another for my good friend.

The only problem is that you can only take two birds a year in Florida. But I can't wait until next year; I'm addicted.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2009-03-16T16:44:00.002-02:00

The Real Evangelism Conference was great, I bought the CD's of the messages if you want a taste. I will loan them out, for a small fee. I promise you will be blessed, encouraged, challenged, all those things God desires to do in us so He can work through us.

But it started raining Thursday night and hasn't quit since then. It rained and has been so dreary. I will say this, "It's great sleeping weather."

We surprised me Dad on Saturday night for his 65th birthday, and we did a good job, even the grandkids kept quiet. He didn't know anything or suspect anything. We had about 60 or so people there, family but also many of his friends. One of the most special parts of the evening was when we allowed them to share stories, etc... about Dad. I was amazed at how many of them talked about the impact for Christ that he had on them and their families. It was very special. I pray that I have that kind of impact on others lives for the cause of Christ. I am so thankful to God for giving me and example like Tim Madaris, but even more than that I'm thankful that he is my Dad. I love you, Daddy!

We are at Melissa's parents house now, and it's still raining. We will be here through Friday or Saturday on vacation before coming home to Florida. Have a Jesus filled week.

Serving Him,
Pastor Mike

Real Evanglism Conference 09

2009-03-10T02:33:00.001-02:00

I am in SC/NC for the Bailey Smith Real Evangelism Conference at FBC Indian Trail, NC. Here is the preaching line-up. I can't wait!

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH INdIAN TRAIL
MaRCH 11TH - MaRCH 13TH 2009
WEDNESDAY – March 11th
6:30 pm LTC Steve Russell, Bailey Smith
Music Mike Speck Trio, The Greenes

THURSDAY – March 12th
10:00 am Rick Scarbrough, Mike Whitson
1:45 pm Junior Hill, Bob Pitman
6:30 pm Bob Pitman, Johnny Hunt
Music Mike Speck Trio , Greater Vision

FRIDAY – March 13th
10:00 am Rick Coram, Junior Hill
1:45 pm Rick Coram, Stephen Rummage
6:30 pm Herb Reavis, Ergun Caner
Music Mike Speck Trio, The Triumphant Quartet

www.fbcit.org
732 Indian Trail - Fairview Road • Indian Trail, NC 28079 • (704) 882-1005

Introduction to Proverbs- The Message

2009-03-03T19:06:00.003-02:00

"Many people thing that what's written in the Bible has mostly to do with getting people into heaven-getting right with God, saving their eternal souls. It does have to do with that, of course, but not mostly. It's just as concerned with living on earth-living well, living in robust sanity. In our Scriptures, heaven is not the primary concern, to which earth is a tag-along afterthought. "On earth as it is in heaven" is Jesus' prayer.

Wisdom is the biblical term for this on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven everyday living. Wisdom is the art of living skillfully in whatever actual conditions we find ourselves. It has virtually nothing to do with mere information or knowledge. A college degree is no proof of wisdom. Nor is wisdom primarily concerned with keeping us out of moral mud puddles, although it does have a profound moral effect on us.

Wisdom has to do with becoming skillful in honoring our parents and raising our children, handling our money and conducting our sexual lives, going to work and exercising leadership, using words well and treating friends kindly, eating and drinking healthily, cultivating emotions within ourselves and attitudes towards others that make for peace. Threaded through all these items is the insistence that the way we think of and respond to God is the most practical thing we do. In matters of everyday practicality, nothing, absolutely nothing, takes precedence over God.

Proverbs concentrates on these concerns more than any other book in the Bible. Attention to the here and now is everywhere present in the thousand-plus pages of the Bible. Proverbs distills it all into riveting images and sound bites that keep us connected with holy obedience to the ordinary."

(I did this post, especially, for those of you who are taking my challenge to read through the book of Proverbs once a month throughout 2009. God bless you.)

Acts 5:1-11

2009-03-02T19:16:00.002-02:00

"Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire"

That is the title of the message I preached yesterday morning at HGBC. If you don't recognize the text, it's the story of Annanias and Sapphira and their lying to God. I want to share just a thought from yesterdays message. It is this, in the form of a question: "Why did they lie?"

The text tells us that Peter told them that they were not forced to sell what belonged to them. When they sold it, they were under no obligation to give any portion of the money they received to the church. When they gave money they were under no obligation to give it all. So, why did they lie and say they were giving it all when they were only giving some? Why, why why? Morgan's favorite word!

I believe the answer is this: they saw something that didn't belong to them that they wanted. What? They saw something they wanted, they coveted something that belonged to someone else. What did they want? They wanted the praise/attention being given to those who were giving "something" to the church. They wanted it for themselves. But what they couldn't see was the heart of those who had given already.

Take Barnabas for example. Barnabas wasn't his real name, it was his "after Christ" name. It was the name given to him by the disciples, not by his Momma. She had named him Joses/Joseph. Something changed with this man, after he met Jesus, that they gave him a new name. They called him Barnabas which means "Son of Encouragement." His heart was different. He sold some land, gave the money to the church, and he gave the GLORY to God. That's what A and S couldn't see. Barnabas was a reflector/deflector of God's glory. He wouldn't accept for himself what belonged to God.

A and S saw the recognition given to Barnabas and they wanted some of that for themselves. They came up with a plan, and set it into motion. They thought they could deceive the church, they thought they could deceive others, but they deceived themselves. God would not allow them to take what belonged to him. I Corinthians 10:31 says, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

It's God's glory; the glory belongs to him not you and me. When we are praised or honored or recognized we should divert that attention to the only one who is worthy, namely the Lord Jesus. We should never do anything for our own recognition, we are servants and slaves of Jesus. A and S lost sight of that and it cost them their lives. Scripture tells us they "breathed their last." Severe consequences for severe sin. God help us to resist!

Settling Down

2009-02-20T03:03:00.003-02:00

Well I guess things are settling down. All the family has gone home, and I must say thank you for all you did in helping us the two weeks after Mya was born. We couldn't have done it with out you. I also want to thank our church family for all the food you brought us during those first two weeks home. It was a God send and a blessing. I wish you could have stayed and enjoyed it with us. Thanks again.

I guess Melissa, Morgan and I are settling in as well, making the adjustments at home with Mya. I always had the late feedings with Morgan, and I guess Melissa liked it so much she assigned it to me with Mya. I don't mind though. I get her all to myself for about 3-4 hours each night between 9pm-1am or something like that. I get to talk to her, sing to her, and tell her about Jesus. What could be better than that? Not a thing in my humble but accurate opinion.

As I sit here typing this stuff my mind goes back to three weeks ago. Three weeks ago, I was as nervous as a long tail cat in a room full of rockin' chairs. Everyone else had gone to sleep and I was up contemplating the coming days events. I knew that Melissa and I would be leaving the house about 6:45am heading for the hospital, and we would be coming home sometime after that with our baby girl. I didn't get much sleep that night as I prayed for Melissa and Mya, and the doctors, nurses, etc... WOW! It's been three weeks and I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. "Daddy loves his girls!" All three of them.

FIREPROOF at HGBC

2009-02-12T19:09:00.002-02:00

This past Sunday night we had a showing of the movie FIREPROOF at HGBC. It is the latest movie to be released by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. God has truly blessed this church and this ministry. What a story of forgiveness and grace! If you haven't seen it, you should ASAP! We had a great crowd turn out to see it. I guess we had over 150 people there, and I am confident that God used FIREPROOF to speak to their heart. I know this because, even after having seen it three other times, He spoke to my heart. He invited me to know Him more, and He reminded me that He will never leave me in a fire. Thank you Lord!

I am considering having another showing within the next month. I would love to know your thoughts on the movie.

Also pray for my family. As I write this I am at Lake Yale, the Florida Baptist Convention retreat center, for the State Board of Missions meeting. I came down last night and will not be back home until tomorrow afternoon. Pray for Melissa and the girls as they are home without me, and pray for me as I am here without them. I miss them so much.

One Week Old

2009-02-07T13:11:00.002-02:00

Mya Layne is one week, as of yesterday, and is doing great. She is sleeping well, eating well, and...well you get the idea. God has truly blessed us with another healthy, beautiful little girl, and I'm so thankful. Melissa is doing well, and we are all adjusting to our new addition.

Morgan is such a big helper. She wants to be apart of everything going on, and she is asking a lot of questions, some easy to answer and some not so easy. She is just to smart for her own good, at this point; later, that won't be so bad.

Mya Layne Madaris

2009-02-03T19:36:00.005-02:00

Mya Layne Madaris entered this world Friday January 30, 2009 at 5:12PM. She was 20 inches long and weighed in at 7.9 pounds. Thanks for your prayers and support during this time in the life of our family. It has been a wonderful experience. Melissa and Mya are both doing well. I want to thank those in our families who were able to come down, and can't wait for the rest of you to meet Mya also. Thanks to those of you from HGBC who are helping prepare meals for us over the next few days or so. We greatly appreciate your acts of kindness and service. May God bless you. We love you.

Mike, Melissa, Morgan, and Mya

A Review of "Wild at Heart"

2009-01-28T19:38:00.002-02:00

Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secrets of a Man's Heart was written by John Eldredge in 2001. I have had some reservations about reading this book for reasons, that were unfounded, which I will not mention. But I will begin this review by encouraging you to pick up a copy and give it a serious reading. This book will, most likely, open your eyes to a whole new world for you as a man in the Kingdom of God. I had no idea how it would speak to and resonate within my heart and soul. (I also encourage wives and fiances to read this along with their men. I believe it will help you understand the man you love and who God intends him to be.)

Eldredge's premise is basic and simple; God created you, man, for a "battle to fight, a beauty to rescue and an adventure to live." It seems simple enough, but before entering his thoughts on these three elements of the God intended life, he spends several chapters discussing what keeps us from living this "life of adventure," this God honoring life as men.

In his introduction he had my attention when he wrote that we don't need another book for men. He said, "We need something else. We need permission." My mind began to ponder that statement. Are we at a place in this world, am I at a place in my own life where I need permission to be a man, to be a man after God's own heart? Eldredge says the answer to that question is yes, an emphatic and overwhelming yes. But why?

The answer to that question seems to be that society in general and even the church today want men who are "tamed and controllable." Men need to be trained, sophisticated, and feminine. That is what the world seemingly wants from us men, but what our hearts long for is to be William Wallace of the famed movie "Braveheart." We want to be Maximus of "Gladiator." We want to fight the battles of "Saving Private Ryan." We were created by God to be warriors, to be lions, and the word wants us to be pussy cats.

What does this really mean? It means, to Eldredge, that men have, for whatever reason, lost the passion of their lives. And the scary part is that men don't know why! Why do we long for adventure and battles? Why do we long for a "beauty to rescue"? Why? Eldredge says because that is the way God made us. And we live the lives we live because we fail to live the life God intended.

There was one chapter in particular that spoke to my heart, the chapter titled "The Wound." In it Eldredge deals with the circumstances in our lives which help to hinder us from becoming who and what God intends: "the wound." This wound can come from many places, but the most dangerous wounds received by boys and men are the wounds they receive at home. He takes this idea and moves into a chapter which offers help and hope for those coming behind. He calls this chapter "The Battle for a Man's Heart."

The content of the book builds and builds, like the waves of the ocean, like the flames of the fire. They captivate your mind and grasp your heart, and you know that there is more to this life.

Read it for yourself. Let me know your thoughts. I know that I will read it again for the encouragement within to be a man of God, but also because I know there are things that I missed that I need to help me understand more of being this man.

The Shack

2009-01-25T00:47:00.002-02:00

I just finished reading The Shack by Wm. Paul Young. I was good, but, to me, not as good as Eugene Peterson said in the recommendation section. I do not think, as he stated, "This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress did for his." I mean I thought it was OK, but not a generation changer.

As most of you know Melissa and I are expecting our second little girl at any time now. I mean I'm listing for her to yell to me "It's time." After things settle down somewhat, I plan on writing a short review of Wild at Heart by John Eldredge and The Shack so check back for updates on the new baby and to see if I've been able to write those reviews.

Serving Him,
Pastor Mike

It Seems to Have Begun

2009-01-23T22:25:00.002-02:00

I want to begin by saying that God has called us to pray, regularly, for our President and leaders.

With that says, the liberal agenda seemingly has begun with the executive orders already signed by newly inaugurated President Obama. It began with, in my opinion, the neglect of our national security with the order to close the detention center at Gitmo. And now he has continued his promise to engage and press the issues surrounding abortion and the homosexual agenda with the executive orders he signed today reversing the policies of our Presidents Reagan, Bush and Bush. Only Bill Clinton has done so in the past 20 years. So now it seems that our government will begin funding abortions in foreign countries.

We must pray! We must pray for God's forgiveness and intervention in these matters. We know from Scripture that homosexuality is an abomination in His sight. We also know that God values life, from the moment of conception, as the most precious gift He gives, outside of eternal life. We must stand up against these horrors, and we must do so publicly. And we must pray!

Pondering

2009-01-21T17:52:00.002-02:00

As I read Proverbs 21 today, a verse jumped out at me. Verse 2 says, "All the ways of a man seem right to him, but the LORD evaluates the motives" (HCSB).

My initial impression or thougtht is...we as human beings always judge, first, on the outcome or result of the actions we take. God, however, first looks at the reason behind the actions we take.

Is there more to it than that? I do not know at this point, hence the title of this post: "Pondering." Any thoughts?

Wild at Heart

2009-01-20T19:49:00.002-02:00

I just finished reading this book by John Eldridge. I hate to say it, but I refused to read it for several years now because of the comments of a professor at SEBTS whom I have the utmost respect for. I am glad however that in God's timing I have completed it. It spoke to my heart at my point of greatest need, a very difficult time in ministry. God is at work, and so is our enemy. (I hate that he can take on "flesh and blood.")

I would encourage any believer, male or female, to read this book, especially those who are married or about to be married. I plan on writing a review of this book in the next few days or so, depending on when Melissa goes into labor. So stick around!

John 15:1-11

2009-01-15T18:23:00.004-02:00

I joined a group on FaceBook the other day, SBCToday. It is a group of people who want to discuss "important" things going on in SBC life rather than some of the trivial or mean spirited things being discussed on some blogs. The creator of the group asked for ideas to be discussed so I gave him one. It has to do with discussing our "new" position in Christ. He liked the idea and asked me to write the discussion starter. The following is what I wrote. I can't take credit for the ideas I presented, the credit for that belongs to Bro. Herb Hodges, one of my mentors and friends. I did just preach a two message series entitled "What's New for a Christian" based on a study Bro. Herb wrote from John 15:1-11. I took his ideas, made them my own, and wrote from my heart. I hope you enjoy.

“Our Identity in Christ”
Michael Madaris

I have been apart of the SBC all my life, and one thing I have noticed is that there is, seemingly, a great emphasis placed on “position” within the convention. Men of all ages scramble for “position” within the political arena of the SBC. I have noticed this even more so in the last few years of ministry. “Young” ministers are demanding their place at “the table” of the SBC.

I was at a meeting yesterday, and a former pastor in Texas was leading the discussion. During our time together he gave us two questions to ponder; one of them being, “Who am I?” He said that answering this question is one of the most important things we, as Christians and ministers, have to answer. I believe he is right.

Is our identity found in what church we pastor? Is our identity found in what position we serve our great convention? I do not believe this is where we truly find our identity although many seem to think so. I believe we find our identity in a person and a relationship with that person.

One of the keywords of the Bible and of the Christian life is the word “new.” The Bible speaks of a new heart, a new spirit, a new creature, a new covenant, a new birth, a new man, a new life, a new Jerusalem, and many other wonderful new things. The Bible paints beautiful pictures of these new things to help the reader understand what God has for us. One of those beautiful pictures is found in John 15:1-11. In the passage the reader finds Jesus sharing with his disciples the dynamics of the relationship they are in together, and in clarifying the importance he uses the illustration of the relationship between a branch and a vine.

I will not discuss here the four “new” things Jesus presents to the believer in the text, but I do want to highlight the first “new” thing. It is the “new” position the Christ follower find himself in. Six times in the first seven verses, Jesus uses the phrase, “in Me,” to describe the new position of the Christian. Herb Hodges says, “Jesus uses the word ‘in’ about thirty times in chapters 14 and 15, and it reaches its pinnacle of use when he uses the preposition with the personal pronoun ‘Me.’” They are two small words, but when combined they become the resting place of the souls of men.

The phrase “in Me” is found throughout the New Testament. Over and over again Scripture tells us of our “new” position, in fact the Apostle Paul uses this phrase 164 times in his epistles. God is trying to get a point across. The believer is to find himself in his “new” position.

Every person on earth is seen by God in one of two positions according to I Corinthians 15:22. The only two possible positions a person can be found are in Adam or in Christ. And no person can be in both positions. It is an either or proposition, and both carry extreme consequences. Herb Hodges states, “To be ‘in Adam’ means that you fell into sin when Adam fell into sin, you became lost when Adam became lost, and came under the judgment of God when Adam did. It is a matter of position.” Scripture goes on to allow us to examine what is entailed in the “new” position of being “in Christ” (Rom. 8:1; II Cor. 5:17).

The world has a standard of success. It is, seemingly, found in the clothes one wears, in the house one lives in, in the car one drives, in the place one vacations, in the salary one is paid, and so many other things. There are some within our convention who believe that to be successful you must lead a large congregation, to be respected you must serve as a trustee of some board, and the list goes on. But are these things the measure by which godly success is determined? Are these the things that are held in high esteem by our “Commander-in-Chief,” by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? I believe the answer is an overwhelming no from the throne of grace and from the pages of Scripture. Faithfulness and obedience, relationship, service and humility are the elements of success in the kingdom of God.

How does one come to be successful according to the standard of Christ? There are two significant answers in my opinion: 1) answer the question “Who am I in Christ?” and 2) obey the command of Christ in John 15:4 which says “Abide in Me…”

There is so much talk today about bringing reconciliation to the SBC, but I do not believe it will happen as long as those who make up the SBC try to “find themselves” in any other place than in Christ.

Reflecting

2009-01-14T19:48:00.003-02:00

As I am reading through Proverbs each month during 2009, I am finding much to reflect upon or ponder. One verse God has drawn my attention to is Proverbs 12:16(HCSB), "A fool's displeasure is known at once, but whoever ignores an insult is sensible."

I've never done much reading in the Holman Christian Standard, but I'm liking it so far. What do you think about this verse, and how can you and I apply it to our lives?

I'm also reflecting on a verse I read today. Proverbs 14:1 says, "Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands." I believe this verse is speaking to wife/mom about the influence she has in the home. She has the ability to give life and the ability to take it away. It's in her hands. But I think the same can be said of husband/dad. I am thinking of this not only as it bares on Morgan and Melissa, but also on the precious little girl entering our home sometime in the next few weeks. Melissa and I have the power and ability to build a strong home for our family, or we have the ability to tear it apart with our own bare hands. How foolish that would be!

May we all build STRONG homes for our families. Any thoughts?

Please read...

2009-01-11T19:55:00.002-02:00

Please go to my friend John McLamb's blog and read his post from Thursday. As I read it a few minutes ago I was challenged and know you will be to. There is a link to his blog below: www.johnmclamb.wordpress.com. If this doesn't get you there, there is a link on the right side of my page.

Thanks John for exposing and expressing your heart and ministry.

I forgot to mention...

2009-01-11T12:26:00.003-02:00

I can't believe I forgot to come on here and mention it. "It?" you ask. "What did you forget to mention?"

The Florida GATORS won the National Championship. They beat Oklahoma. I wouldn't lie; it was to close a game until the fourth quarter. But the GATORS never quit, they never gave up, and they came through in the end.

Go GATORS!!!

Proverbs 7

2009-01-07T15:44:00.002-02:00

I am currently reading Proverbs from the Apologetics Study Bible. The translation of this edition is the Holman Christian Standard Bible. The first 5 verses of this chapter direct the reader, the one pursuing wisdom, to treasure the Word of God. It encourages the reader to reflect on it and "regularly putting it into practice..." The study note on these 5 verses then goes on to say that doing this "helps a person internalize wisdom and build godly character. What we think about regularly affects what we do, and what we do regularly produces habits, and ultimately determines our character." WOW!

Think about that last sentence. Break it down into individual parts: 1) what we think about REGULARLY affects what we do, 2) what we do REGULARLY produces habits, and 3) habits ultimately determine our character. All I can say is that is powerful.

My prayer is: "Lord may I think about you, may I do only what you would do, and may I become like you."

Remember

2009-01-04T00:52:00.002-02:00

Back at the beginning of December I asked you to pray for the Webb family. I received a phone call from Jason this evening. He told that his mom and dad are home from Houston. The chemo wasn't working and there was no need for them to stay. Bro. Dean is in the hospital right now, he is very weak and needs our continued prayer support. Please remember them and lift them up often before the throne of grace. Thank you.

Pastor Mike

"I love it when a plan comes together!"

2008-12-31T21:31:00.004-02:00

The famous words of the Colonel from the A Team. I loved that show when I was growing up. BA, Murdock, Face, and the Colonel. They shot so many rounds a show the army couldn't keep them in ammo, and yet no one ever got killed. The Colonel always had a plan and somehow, some way, it always worked out.

I had a plan and issued a challenge to HGBC at the beginning of 2008. That plan was to read through the bible in one year. I had done it several times before, and had always been blessed by the time with the Lord. I finished today, on schedule, and was blessed as I thought back over this past year at how God has used the time each day in His Word to strengthen, encourage and equip me for His work.

I pray that those of you who accepted the challenge finished what you started. If you did I know you where greatly blessed by the Lord. If you have never read through the bible or never done it in a year, I encourage you to do it in 2009.

I also challenge those who accepted the challenge for 2008 to accept a new challenge for 2009. The challenge is this: read a chapter a day in Proverbs for the year. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs. Read them in conjunction with the day of the month: chapter 1 on the first, etc... If there are not 31 days in the month, read chapters 30 and 31 on the 30th of the month. You get the idea. Let me know if you accept the challenge and let's hold each other accountable throughout 2009.

Happy New Year,
Pastor Mike

Christmas 08

2008-12-26T21:50:00.003-02:00

We had a great Christmas; it was definitely a "Merry Christmas." Melissa's family has been here, and we have had a great time together. (My Mom and Dad were here last weekend, and we had a great time with them.) The guys got permission to play golf today, so we did. The ladies stayed behind and Cindy and Michelle helped Melissa get a lot of things ready for the arrival of "little" Madaris. Thank you so much.

As we close out this year, 2008, remember that every day is Christmas for the Christian because, every day, we have Jesus living within us. We are, our bodies are, His temple.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Pastor Mike

Christmas: ready or not

2008-12-23T18:05:00.003-02:00

The laundry is done, the house is clean, and food is on the stove. Family and friends are on their way. We will laugh, eat, exchange gifts, and celebrate the birth of Savior, Jesus Christ, God the Son.

May you have a very Merry Christmas. Be safe and keep Christ first in your CHRISTmas. We love you.

Mike, Melissa, Morgan and baby Madaris

Tell Me the Story of Jesus

2008-12-21T19:44:00.002-02:00

Fanny Crosby wrote that song many years ago. She died in 1915. She was born blind, but man could she see, she crystal clear spiritual vision. As I was trying to work through what God wanted me to preach this morning, being that it is the Sunday before Christmas; He reminded me of that song.

I called my secretary Denise, and asked her to make a copy of the words and put them on my desk (I've had to be out of the office most of the last two weeks making hospital visits). When I got back to the church I began to read through, very carefully, the words to "Tell Me the Story of Jesus.

God began to lay out in my mind a special message for HGBC. I have been sick since Tuesday, but I was anxious for this morning to get here so I could preach. God was faithful, giving me the strength I needed to do what He called me to do. I wish I could redo it for you now, but I can't. We did record it so you can get a copy if you want one, just call the church office. God bless you and have a Merry Christmas.

Serving Him,
Pastor Mike

A Tragedy

2008-12-15T13:54:00.003-02:00

Please be praying for a friend of mine, Bart Barber. He and his family were involved in a tragic accident in Texas this past week, where a young man, Nicholas Scroggs, ran in front of his car and was killed. Nicholas was only 14 years old. The funeral services are tomorrow. Please pray for the Barber and Scroggs families. Thank you.

The Nativity Story

2008-12-15T13:35:00.003-02:00

You have got to watch this movie before Christmas. I think it will give you a fresh view for this time of year. I showed it to my church last night, and when the movie was over they all began clapping their hands. The moment was awesome and so is the movie.

Time Flies

2008-12-12T21:08:00.003-02:00

It's hard to believe that its been almost two weeks since my last post. I don't know where the time has gone. We are gearing up for Christmas, and Morgan is so excited.

It's snowing in places that it normally doesn't snow, and it's snowing alot in a place I love going: SnowShoe Ski Resort. They have already had over 85" of snow this year; they didn't have much more than that all last year. But I doubt I will get to go skiing this year, what? I haven't told you...Melissa is pregnant. Mya/Meagan (we can't make up our minds) will be here sometime around the end of January. I can't wait. I love being Daddy.

I've had a very busy week: there are 6 members of the church in the hospital right now, well at least 5, 1 was suppose to come home Tuesday. I drove alot of miles this week. Morgan got to go on her first visitation with Daddy yesterday. I took her to see some people who are sick, they loved it and so did she. I'll have to do that more often with her, it was nice having her with me like that.

I know that they would appreciate the prayers and I would ask you to pray for Dean Webb. He is my friend Jason Webb's dad. He has been battling leukemia for a while now, but it has gotten extremely worse. He and Mrs. Webb are in Houston for 6 months for special treatment. Pray for them.

God is good! God is faithful.

Sunday

2008-12-02T13:56:00.003-02:00

This past Sunday was a great day. We had the privilege of participating in both ordinances of the church: baptism and communion.

We partake of the Lord's Supper on every fifth Sunday, so four times a year we specifically focus on nothing but the cross of Christ and the sacrifice he made as our substitute. I usually take one aspect of the table or one part of the history and teach/preach for a few minutes, them we spend some time examining ourselves (I Cor. 11), and them we take the bread and juice. But I was captivated this past week with the words of Christ: "remember Me." Think about that for a moment, Jesus wants us to do this, and in so doing, remember Him. He wants us to live our lives "remembering Him" in everything we do.

We also got to start our service by baptizing two young people who had recently accepted Christ as their personal Savior. I love starting a service with a baptismal service. One of the two was a young man who was saved as a result of our youth ministry. The other was a young lady who works at Hickory Grove Early Learning Center. One of our church members works there and began a relationship with her, and as a result of that relationship, she began coming to church. She came up to me a few weeks after and told me she wanted to talk with me about accepting Christ. We talked that morning and then that evening in my office (Melissa was with us) she prayed to receive Christ. What a glorious time! I can't wait to see these two begin to grow and serve.

Quick Update

2008-12-02T00:23:00.003-02:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone...is that quick enough? Probably not, but it is true. I can't believe that it is December 1, 2008. It can't be, can it? Wasn't it just January a month ago? Seems like it anyway.

It's been an exciting, action packed couple of weeks for us at the Madaris house. The Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving I went hunting in Georgia with Ben Crowdis. Thanks Ben for the trip, and thanks to your parents for putting up with me. I was able to take a doe on Monday morning. I hadn't been in the stand 20 minutes when 5 deer came out: 4 slick-heads and a spike. I watched them for about 25 minutes, and shot the doe at 7:25. Dropped her in her tracks. We hunted that evening and Tuesday morning and didn't see anything else.

Ben and I got home about 3:30 Tuesday afternoon. I got ready and headed to the church to get ready for Thanksgiving service. Let me just say, "It was awesome!" We sang some songs and shared many testimonies of God's faithfulness. My favorite part was several people sharing Scripture passages that had been especially meaningful to them during this year. I also really enjoyed the testimony of Steve Ard. Thanks Steve for being ready and flexible.

Melissa, Morgan and I took my grandparents out to eat Wednesday night for Granny's 91st birthday and for Christmas. We won't be able to travel home for Christmas because Melissa will be to far along in her pregnancy by them. We really enjoyed that as well. I love spending time with Granny and Granddaddy.

Thursday was a rather busy day as you can well imagine. We ate lunch with Brenda Harvey's family again this year, and it was awesome. Good food, good fellowship, what more can you ask for. Morgan was the entertainment for the day, and she performed most excellently. We left there and went to hang out with my family for a few hours. Then we went to Donnie and Karen's for an hour or so. Then back to Aunt Patsy's til about 11pm.

Friday Morgan and I hung out so Melissa could "shop til she dropped," and she almost did. Saturday was awesome as I watched my Florida GATORS lay the smack down on the FSU Creminoles (oops I mean Seminoles). Did my final sermon prep and got ready to preach.

Great memories.

Thanksgiving is Coming

2008-11-19T15:02:00.002-02:00

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just a week away. It's hard to believe that time is going by so quickly. 2008 is almost gone, and before you know it 2009 will be too.

I'm looking forward to this weekend and next week. I'll be continuing my series through the Book of Acts on Sunday morning. We will be focusing on Peter's message after the healing of the lame man in the Temple. On Sunday night we will begin looking at the material to be gone through in our New Member Orientation class that will begin in 2009. I'll be taking about four Sunday nights to go through the material. Please pray for me as I continue trying to narrow it down. This class is something that every person wanting to become a member of our church will go through before actually becoming a member. At the end of the class they will be asked to sign a covenant with the church agreeing to what has been covered.

After the PM service Ben C and I will be taking a little trip to Georgia to do some deer hunting. We'll be back Tuesday afternoon before our Thanksgiving service at 6:30. Please come and share with us how God has worked and blessed your life this year; it will be an encouragement to all present. We will sing, praise and share. Looking forward to seeing you there.

Saturday & Sunday

2008-11-15T23:29:00.002-02:00

It has been a busy but good couple of weeks. Today my dad, Rick R., Steve A. and I went to Gainesville to see the UF/USC game. Needless to say, the "chicken" was good in Gainesville. We had a blast. Thanks to Dale W. for the tickets; I'm glad your home and better.

Tomorrw we have an exciting day at HGBC. Mercy's Well will be doing a concert. Can't wait to see and hear them. They came highly recommended (Sherry Holloway).

The Louisiana Horse Whisperer

2008-11-14T01:27:00.002-02:00

We had a great time last night out at the Clay County Fair Grounds. We, HGBC & Black Creek Baptist Association, hosted Wild Horse Ministries. Paul Daily is the Louisiana Horse Whisperer. He takes an unrideable horse and in the matter of about 2 hours is riding that horse; he did it last night and I have the video to prove it (I'm gonna try to upload it to my facebook page).

But as he is working the horse he relates it to how God works in and on you and I. It was amazing to see God working in the hearts and lives of those people sitting in the stands last night. I was told over 40 people responded in some way to Christ after they "saw" what God has in store for us.

As I type this I'm watching the video. I had a blast riding last night. The rodeo queen couldn't be there so Paul asked me to present the flag, so I jumped on his horse and had some fun. Thanks Paul for the ride. Thanks to the volunteers who helped make last night a success. Thanks to the churches for getting involved and providing the volunteers. Most of all, thanks to Denise Towe, my secretary, who worked so tirelessly going beyond the call of duty to make last night a success (enjoy the day tomorrow, you earned it).

And last but not least, "Thank you Lord Jesus for graciously working and drawing people to yourself just like you promised you would."

The Election Results

2008-11-05T13:18:00.003-02:00

The following was written by Dr. Al Mohler this morning concerning the election of America's first African-American president, Barack Hussein Obama. I believe we must follow the advice of Dr. Mohler and begin immediately to pray earnestly for our president-elect.

America Has Chosen a President
Posted: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 at 5:04 am ET

The election of Sen. Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States came as a bang, not a whimper. The tremors had been perceptible for days, maybe even weeks. On Tuesday, America experienced nothing less than a political and cultural earthquake.
The margin of victory for the Democratic ticket was clear. Americans voted in record numbers and with tangible enthusiasm. By the end of the day, it was clear that Barack Obama would be elected with a majority of the popular vote and a near landslide in the Electoral College. When President-Elect Obama greeted the throngs of his supporters in Chicago's Grant Park, he basked in the glory of electoral energy.
For many of us, the end of the night brought disappointment. In this case, the disappointment is compounded by the sense that the issues that did not allow us to support Sen. Obama are matters of life and death -- not just political issues of heated debate. Furthermore, the margin of victory and sense of a shift in the political landscape point to greater disappointments ahead. We all knew that so much was at stake.
For others, the night was magical and momentous. Young and old cried tears of amazement and victory as America elected its first African-American President -- and elected him overwhelmingly. Just forty years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, an African-American stood to claim victory as President-Elect of the nation. As Sen. Obama assured the crowd in Chicago and the watching nation, "We will get there. We will get there." No one hearing those words could fail to hear the refrain of plaintive words spoken in Memphis four decades ago. President-Elect Obama would stand upon the mountaintop that Dr. King had foreseen.
That victory is a hallmark moment in history for all Americans -- not just for those who voted for Sen. Obama. As a nation, we will never think of ourselves the same way again. Americans rich and poor, black and white, old and young, will look to an African-American man and know him as President of the United States. The President. The only President. The elected President. Our President.
Every American should be moved by the sight of young African-Americans who -- for the first time -- now believe that they have a purchase in American democracy. Old men and old women, grandsons and granddaughters of slaves and slaveholders, will look to an African-American as President.
Regardless of politics, could anyone remain unmoved by the sight of Jesse Jackson crying alone amidst the crowd in Chicago? This dimension of Election Day transcends politics and touches the heart of the American people.
Yet, the issues and the politics remain. Given the scale of the Democratic victory, the political landscape will be completely reshaped. The fight for the dignity and sanctity of unborn human beings has been set back by a great loss, and by the election of a President who has announced his intention to sign the Freedom of Choice Act into law. The struggle to protect marriage against its destruction by redefinition is now complicated by the election of a President who has declared his aim to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. On issue after issue, we face a longer, harder, and more protracted struggle than ever before.
Still, we must press on as advocates for the unborn, for the elderly, for the infirm, and for the vulnerable. We must redouble our efforts to defend marriage and the integrity of the family. We must be vigilant to protect religious liberty and the freedom of the pulpit. We face awesome battles ahead.
At the same time, we must be honest and recognize that the political maps are being redrawn before our eyes. Will the Republican Party decide that conservative Christians are just too troublesome for the party and see the pro-life movement as a liability? There is the real danger that the Republicans, stung by this defeat, will adopt a libertarian approach to divisive moral issues and show conservative Christians the door.
Others will declare these struggles over, arguing that the election of Sen. Obama means that Americans in general -- and many younger Evangelicals in particular -- are ready to "move on" to other issues. This is no time for surrender or the abandonment of our core principles. We face a much harder struggle ahead, but we have no right to abandon the struggle.
We should look for opportunities to work with the new President and his administration where we can. We must hope that he will lead and govern as the bridge-builder he claimed to be in his campaign. We must confront and oppose the Obama administration where conscience demands, but work together where conscience allows.
Evangelical Christians face another challenge with the election of Sen. Obama, and a failure to rise to this challenge will bring disrepute upon the Gospel, as well as upon ourselves. There must be absolutely no denial of the legitimacy of President-Elect Obama's election and no failure to accord this new President the respect and honor due to anyone elected to that high office. Failure in this responsibility is disobedience to a clear biblical command.
Beyond this, we must commit ourselves to pray for this new President, for his wife and family, for his administration, and for the nation. We are commanded to pray for rulers, and this new President faces challenges that are not only daunting but potentially disastrous. May God grant him wisdom. He and his family will face new challenges and the pressures of this office. May God protect them, give them joy in their family life, and hold them close together.
We must pray that God will protect this nation even as the new President settles into his role as Commander in Chief, and that God will grant peace as he leads the nation through times of trial and international conflict and tension.
We must pray that God would change President-Elect Obama's mind and heart on issues of our crucial concern. May God change his heart and open his eyes to see abortion as the murder of the innocent unborn, to see marriage as an institution to be defended, and to see a host of issues in a new light. We must pray this from this day until the day he leaves office. God is sovereign, after all.
Without doubt, we face hard days ahead. Realistically, we must expect to be frustrated and disappointed. We may find ourselves to be defeated and discouraged. We must keep ever in mind that it is God who raises up nations and pulls them down, and who judges both nations and rulers. We must not act or think as unbelievers, or as those who do not trust God.
America has chosen a President. President-Elect Barack Obama is that choice, and he faces a breathtaking array of challenges and choices in days ahead. This is the time for Christians to begin praying in earnest for our new President. There is no time to lose.

A Borrowed Idea!

2008-11-03T19:42:00.002-02:00

I was listening to Johnny Hunt preach on my way to SC to preach a revival meeting at Siloam Baptist Church with Jason Webb. He was preaching on evangelism. In the message he shared an interesting statistic: 97% of all professions of faith in SBC churches are a result of relational evangelism with an intentional invitation to attend church, 97%. I was blown away by that information.

What does that mean? It means that 97 out of 100 people who accept Christ as personal Lord and Savior do so after being asked to attend church by someone they know. That means that of the 10,000 or so SBC churches who recorded NO baptisms this year or any other year didn't really have any members inviting friends (I know this is a little bit of a stretch, but maybe not).

Bro. Johnny went on to talk about FRAN evangelism. FRAN evangelism is relationally inviting Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors to church. It is getting to know those around you, finding out about their spiritual condition, and inviting them to church. At HGBC, I have declared January to be FRAN evangelism month. I issued a challenge yesterday at church during my message from Acts 2:41-47 that each member begin praying for 3 people they know who are lost, with a intentional plan of inviting them to church where I will preach the gospel. I told them I am praying that in the month of January that we will see 25 souls saved, baptized and joining our church. I believe that is a "lofty" goal for us (we baptized 25 this last church year; up from 18 the previous two years).

I want to encourage you to begin a lifestyle of evangelism and discipleship with FRAN evangelism and see what God will do.