Sunday, December 10, 2006
SBC Life
THis past week has been one that causes people to think, at least in my life. THis blog will have mispelled words and probably poor grammer since I am writing late at night and my mind is running with a ton of thoughts about the week. If you have any thoughts after reading this leave me a comment or two.
In Southern Baptist Life, this week was rather interesting. In Arlington about 100 ministers got togther for the sole purpose to discuss the stance that some SBC organzations have taken and are working on taking dealing with spiritual gifts. One can look at most Blog sights for information about the meetings. The final conclusion that I see is that this group of people is asking for Lifeway to do a research project about like the one dealing with "Calvinism & Arminaism" in SBC life. The goal of the study is to see how many people in SBC life are Continoust, Censsationist, or Semi-Censsations. These terms may be new to you so let me break them down:
Censsationsit - a person who believes that the miraculous gifts are no longer availible to believers in Christ today. They were of the apostles and not for today. They get this because the spiriutal gifts in 1 Cor. says they will stop after they are listed. Then in Romans when the gifts are listed some from 1 Cor. are not mentioned. Due to this and other traditions, tongues, gift of healing, profosing etc. are not longer needed.
Continoust - one who thinks all gifts are in function because the perfect has not come yet, according to 1 Cor. Now this group is wide and big. Some are scared because of the Charsimatic view point of things or the Penticostal point of view. Though after reading the blogs and seeing what some of the men believe that were at this meeting I do not seem them going to that extreme, where tongues is a sign of salvation. Instead it is just one of the gifts that could be practiced still.
Semi-Cen. - I asked somebody else what that was and they could not give me a clear def. on it. SO i have no clue.
When one looks at what is going on sometimes I wonder if the lost world really cares. Here we have a division amongst our body of believers, and well 53% of Baptist Churches did not record a baptism for a teenager last year. 10,000 Southern Baptist churches did not report a baptism period, there is roughly 45,000 Southern Baptist Churches. I never hear a lost person talk about Calvin, Arminian, Continoust, Censsationist, Semi-Cen, worship styles... everytime I listen to a lost person I hear them trying to figure out what is going on in this world. Sometimes I think the enemy is excited that one of the largest prodestant organizations with the most missionaries in the forieng mission field is continously fighting over secondary issues. The beauty of the Baptist Faith & Message is that it is big enough for all these views and still operate with in Orthodoxy.
I said there were two events, the second was a youth ministers forum to discuss how youth ministry is broken, and here are some of the stats. IN 1971 there were the most Baptism resported in SBC life for youth at 100,000 + on in 1983 or so have there ever been 90,000 plus. After graduation 92% of students who grew up in a youth group do not return back to church. As a youth minister or minister period that distrubs me, that is why I have organized ministry different from what I learned under. I was a student in a youth group that did activities every time there was a saturday open. Well my class mates hit the 92% ratio, so what have I done about it. I have realized students want more than games, and I know that because well, islamic and mormon students are getting false doctrin with NO GAMES AND CAN DEFEAT A CHRISTIAN TEENAGER IN A DISCUSSION BECAUSE WE ARE TOO BUSY WITH GAMES AND NOT THE WORD. Again we want to debate secondary instead of teaching people the WORD OF GOD for them to allow the HOly Spirit to Illuminate their lives.
With this said I a man, who is wanting God to move in such a way in the ministries around me that people will realize that this whole thing is not about their agenda. This is about God's agenda, infact in 1 Peter 1:12-13 it shows how the profits were preparing for us today, not for their own lives. My question to you is this, are you to concerned about your own agenda that you miss out on what God is doing amongst His church. My prayer is that if you have read all this you are not asleep or bored but desire to share the word of God, live a life that is desperate for HIS GLORY not yours, and allow God to move in such away that we have to step back and say... well we can say anything but fall on our face as a dead man to worship our KING...
Church people are dieing and going to hell because we who are His Children are not sharing HIs Christmas PResent... or allowing the Power of His Christmas PResent to permiate our lives...because we want to control our God in what He can do... granted the only limitations God has is what He has placed in His word... which means HE CAN NOT LIE... SO Primary.. Salvation through Jesus Christ... Studing God's innerant Word... have a great evening and visit with you later...
In Southern Baptist Life, this week was rather interesting. In Arlington about 100 ministers got togther for the sole purpose to discuss the stance that some SBC organzations have taken and are working on taking dealing with spiritual gifts. One can look at most Blog sights for information about the meetings. The final conclusion that I see is that this group of people is asking for Lifeway to do a research project about like the one dealing with "Calvinism & Arminaism" in SBC life. The goal of the study is to see how many people in SBC life are Continoust, Censsationist, or Semi-Censsations. These terms may be new to you so let me break them down:
Censsationsit - a person who believes that the miraculous gifts are no longer availible to believers in Christ today. They were of the apostles and not for today. They get this because the spiriutal gifts in 1 Cor. says they will stop after they are listed. Then in Romans when the gifts are listed some from 1 Cor. are not mentioned. Due to this and other traditions, tongues, gift of healing, profosing etc. are not longer needed.
Continoust - one who thinks all gifts are in function because the perfect has not come yet, according to 1 Cor. Now this group is wide and big. Some are scared because of the Charsimatic view point of things or the Penticostal point of view. Though after reading the blogs and seeing what some of the men believe that were at this meeting I do not seem them going to that extreme, where tongues is a sign of salvation. Instead it is just one of the gifts that could be practiced still.
Semi-Cen. - I asked somebody else what that was and they could not give me a clear def. on it. SO i have no clue.
When one looks at what is going on sometimes I wonder if the lost world really cares. Here we have a division amongst our body of believers, and well 53% of Baptist Churches did not record a baptism for a teenager last year. 10,000 Southern Baptist churches did not report a baptism period, there is roughly 45,000 Southern Baptist Churches. I never hear a lost person talk about Calvin, Arminian, Continoust, Censsationist, Semi-Cen, worship styles... everytime I listen to a lost person I hear them trying to figure out what is going on in this world. Sometimes I think the enemy is excited that one of the largest prodestant organizations with the most missionaries in the forieng mission field is continously fighting over secondary issues. The beauty of the Baptist Faith & Message is that it is big enough for all these views and still operate with in Orthodoxy.
I said there were two events, the second was a youth ministers forum to discuss how youth ministry is broken, and here are some of the stats. IN 1971 there were the most Baptism resported in SBC life for youth at 100,000 + on in 1983 or so have there ever been 90,000 plus. After graduation 92% of students who grew up in a youth group do not return back to church. As a youth minister or minister period that distrubs me, that is why I have organized ministry different from what I learned under. I was a student in a youth group that did activities every time there was a saturday open. Well my class mates hit the 92% ratio, so what have I done about it. I have realized students want more than games, and I know that because well, islamic and mormon students are getting false doctrin with NO GAMES AND CAN DEFEAT A CHRISTIAN TEENAGER IN A DISCUSSION BECAUSE WE ARE TOO BUSY WITH GAMES AND NOT THE WORD. Again we want to debate secondary instead of teaching people the WORD OF GOD for them to allow the HOly Spirit to Illuminate their lives.
With this said I a man, who is wanting God to move in such a way in the ministries around me that people will realize that this whole thing is not about their agenda. This is about God's agenda, infact in 1 Peter 1:12-13 it shows how the profits were preparing for us today, not for their own lives. My question to you is this, are you to concerned about your own agenda that you miss out on what God is doing amongst His church. My prayer is that if you have read all this you are not asleep or bored but desire to share the word of God, live a life that is desperate for HIS GLORY not yours, and allow God to move in such away that we have to step back and say... well we can say anything but fall on our face as a dead man to worship our KING...
Church people are dieing and going to hell because we who are His Children are not sharing HIs Christmas PResent... or allowing the Power of His Christmas PResent to permiate our lives...because we want to control our God in what He can do... granted the only limitations God has is what He has placed in His word... which means HE CAN NOT LIE... SO Primary.. Salvation through Jesus Christ... Studing God's innerant Word... have a great evening and visit with you later...
