Month: April 2019

So What Is a Baptist Church Anyway?

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This past Sunday we spent some time talking about who we are as a church. What does it mean that we are a Baptist church? What is it that sets Baptist churches apart from others? Keep reading to find out.

So What Is a Baptist Church Anyway?

Have you ever stood in line for something without really knowing what the line was for?  You just saw a bunch of people standing in line and figured it was the right place to be?  Maybe you were at a theme park somewhere and thought the line was for a particular ride, but you weren’t totally sure.  Did you ever get to the front of the line only to discover that you really meant to be somewhere else?  One time Lisa and I went to a concert and did this.  We arrived, saw a line, and promptly jumped in it.  As it turned out it was the will call line and we already had our tickets.  Fortunately, a nice staff member came out and sent everybody over to the correct line before we had waited very long. 

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Morning Musing: 1 Corinthians 15:10

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“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

What is it that has made you what you are today? Who we are is a complex web of many different factors. Some of it has come by the intentional effort of someone else trying to shape us into one thing or another. Some of it has come by a set of circumstances over which we had no control. Some of it has come by things that we have pursued ourselves. Paul identifies a fourth factor here, and this should be the big one. 

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The Resurrection Changes Everything

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Yesterday was Easter Sunday. Resurrection Sunday! We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead in style at First Baptist Oakboro. I wish you could have been there with us. Using the words of the apostle Paul to the believers in ancient Corinth as our guide, we spent some time reflecting on just why the resurrection is such a big deal. Also, this is running earlier today than it usually does and is in place of the usual Morning Musing. This will be the only post this week. It’s Spring Break in our house and we are enjoying some time away. See you next Monday!

The Resurrection Changes Everything

So, I love Monty Python.  That may tell some of you more about me than you wanted to know.  Meanwhile, others of you are thinking, “Who’s Monty Python?”  Monty Python was a British sketch comedy troupe popular in the 1970s.  The most famous member is comedian John Cleese, who has since had a pretty good film career in a whole variety of movies.  In addition to several different TV series, they also released a handful of movies.  The most well-known of these was Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  Personally, I’ve watched that one enough times that it’s not very much fun to watch it with me because I say most of the lines right along with the actors all while laughing hysterically.  You can borrow my copy if I’ve gotten you curious.  In any event, one of their most famous sketches is called “The Spanish Inquisition.”  Let me play a little clip of this for you. 

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Digging in Deeper: 1 Corinthians 15:6-7

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“Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

Why make such a big deal about the resurrection? Isn’t it enough to simply believe it happened and not worry so much about whether it was a real, historical event? I mean, in a world of modern understandings of life and death, defending the supernatural is no mean feat. Couldn’t we get by simply focusing on the powerful idea of the resurrection? Ever wondered anything like this? Let’s talk about it.

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Morning Musing: Acts 1:22

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“beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us — from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of his resurrection.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

What is the foundation of the church? What is the thing that if you removed it, the church would crumble into dust? There’s an old hymn that would seem to give us the answer to that question. It goes like this: “The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord; she is His new creation by water and the Word; from heav’n He came and sought her, to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.” So that’s it then? Jesus is the foundation of the church? Well…yes and no. Let me explain. 

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