April 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Sunday Sermon Notes: Andy Stanley / Christian

Here are my notes from Buckhead Church on Sunday, April 15, 2012. Andy Stanley continued a series called “Christian.”

The introduction recapped where the series had been, bringing back the principle in John 13:35. Jesus didn’t ask people to be Christians…He asked people to be followers.

  • There’s a great tension in Christianity, and when you try to resolve it, you lose something important.
  • If you want to know what Jesus meant by what He said, watch what Jesus did.
  • There’s a tension you dare not resolve. John 1:14 says that Jesus was full of grace AND truth.
  • There are grace parents and truth parents. There are grace churches and truth churches. But Jesus was full of both of these things. In John 1:17, we read that grace and truth CAME through Jesus.
  • Not a balance between, but a full measure of.
  • Jesus let a guy into heaven with 1 minute left on the clock. Jesus spoke truth to the woman at the well. It’s messy, inconsistent and unresolved in the church.

Andy then told an amazing story about a modern family situation and how it was handled. You’ll just have to watch it.

Jesus said, “Sin is sin.” Then he paid for it. Then He said, “Stop sinning.” And he still says, “I love you.”

You will be tempted to let go of either grace and truth, but we need to live in the tension.

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April 5, 2012 By 1 Comment

DeFriending Atheists

Cathy Lynn Grossman recently reported on a gathering of 20,000 atheists for what they called a Reason Rally. Five hours into the event, Richard Dawkins appeared and challenged the crowd to ridicule and show contempt for religious beliefs and practices. Nate Phelps, the son of Fred Phelps – the head of Westboro Baptist Church, publicly denounced his fundamentalist faith.

But the saddest part of the article was a closing comment about Rebecca Cunningham from Fredricksburg, Virginia who changed her Facebook status to atheist and lost 34 “friends.”

What is it about Christians who cut people off who fail to live up to their expectations? Imagine what would happen if Rebecca’s Christian “friends” rallied around her instead of de-friending her. Imagine what would happen if her Christian “friends” didn’t respond in judgment but in love. I suppose it’s easier to de-friend someone than it is to have a real conversation or be there no matter what.

I’m not always going to get this right, but in the next phase of my life I want to be known as someone who doesn’t walk away from people who don’t believe or act like I do. I want to be a friend, not de-friend people who mess up. I am grateful for people who didn’t do that to me, and it’s an encouragement to me to get this right.

If Jesus was a friend of sinners, maybe Christians can be friends with atheists on Facebook.

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February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Grace in the Old Testament

I recently finished reading Andy Stanley’s The Grace of God. Not only did I receive some tremendous encouragement and teaching, I thought the book would make for a great sermon series called “Grace in the Old Testament.” Most people don’t think of grace and the Old Testament together. In fact, some consider the Old Testament to be about the law and the New Testament to be about grace. But that’s a big mistake.

Here are a few title and subject ideas, inspired by various chapters in the book:

1. Grace in a Garden. God created an amazing environment that had just one rule – that’s something to consider about how God wants us to live. He gave humanity a purpose for living, a job, and company. Creation itself is a blessing and an act of grace.

2. Grace on Tablets of Stone. The ten commandments weren’t given to Israel until God had already established a relationship with His people.

3. Grace in the Belly of a Fish. The story of Jonah is really a story of grace. God gave Jonah a second chance, and the city of Nineveh a second chance. God isn’t interested in paying back people, but in bringing back people.

4. Grace for a Prostitute. In the story of Rahab, we see that God can punish sin but extend grace to the sinner.

5. Unending Grace. The life of David shows us that grace has no limit.

Have you ever preached on grace exclusively from the Old Testament? Maybe it’s time to give it a try.

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February 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Women in Church Leadership

About two years ago, I came to the conclusion that a teaching team is more effective than a single voice at providing consistent, Biblical teaching.  Instead of the teaching 50 weeks a year, I made the effort to involve other speakers who would bring a different perspective and style to the platform.  One of the people we added to the teaching team was a woman.

While the overwhelming majority of our church appreciated this move (after all, she was an excellent, engaging, and Biblically knowledgeable speaker), a small number raised theological concerns.  Of course, we studied the Scriptures in advance and made our decision on our findings.  So here’s a summary of my study and findings.

Simply stated, while I believe the Bible is clear that the role of a Lead Pastor, Lead Elder or Senior Pastor should be a male, we also believe that the Bible not only allows, but encourages women to fill leadership positions in the church.

The Bible

While time and space don’t permit a full discussion on the entire Bible has to say on the subject, it’s worth mentioning a few passages.

In 1 Timothy 2, Paul deals with the roles of women in the church.  He talks about dress, praying in public, and leadership.  These passages have sparked wild debate, some of which has resulted in lively and scholarly debate, while some has resulted in division and denominational superiority.

Paul specifically says, ““I do not permit women to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” Most scholars agree that Paul is not discussing using authority, but usurping it.  The big question is:  Does Paul forbid a women to teach publically in the church?

I do not believe so.  Even if this was the case in 1 Timothy 2:12, we do not find these same admonitions in other letters from Paul, indicating that this may be a specific response to a specific problem.  Craig Keener believes that Paul was specifically referring to “unlearned” women who were spreading false teaching throughout Ephesus.    Paul’s use of such strong language indicates that it is the abuse or the “stealing” of authority that is out of bounds.

We must not take this one passage, or any one passage, and build our entire belief system.  Books and commentaries have been written explaining the nuanced language the underlying meaning of Paul’s words.  This passage, and others, should be viewed in light of the entire Bible.

The biggest problem with interpreting this passage in 1 Timothy as excluding women from leadership roles in the church is that Paul clearly commended women for their grace and skill in leadership in other epistles.

Context

It’s important to remember that the New Testament was written during a patriarchal time in human history.  Therefore, there are fewer references to women.  However, there is clear evidence that influential women were involved in spreading the gospel and building the church.

Romans 16 lists several women who occupied important positions in the church, including Phoebe, who is described as a minister, deacon or servant, depending on how you translate the word diakonos.  Paul also commends Priscilla, who is actually mentioned before her husband in Paul’s letter to the Romans.   Priscilla and her husband were instrumental in teaching Apolos  and Paul called them both his “fellow workers.”  In the book of Philippians, Paul encouraged Eudioa and Syntyche, two women, to agree in the Lord, noting that they had labored with him in the gospel.  1 Corinthians 11:5 discusses women praying and prophesizing within the worship service.

Paul didn’t approach ministry in every city in exactly the same manner.  Instead, he tailored his approach to the context. In Acts 16, Paul built the evangelistic work on a preexisting prayer group led by an upper-class professional woman named Lydia.   When people came into the church, they did not replace Lydia’s leadership.  In the book of Philippians (written to the church discussed in Acts 16), Paul urged two women leaders to agree in the Lord.  In this church, there wasn’t a discussion about women teaching or leading, because it wasn’t culturally appropriate.  Women in leadership was simply not an issue in this church.

There are many examples in the Old Testament of women leaders and ministers.  Miriam was a prophet (Exodus 15).  Deborah was the leader of a nation (Judges 4-5).  Esther was an advocate who saved her people.

Women are Gifted

Nowhere in the New Testament, does God imply that certain spiritual gifts are given exclusively to men.  1 Corinthians 11:4-5 indicates that both men and women in the early church had the gift of prophecy.  1 Corinthians 12:18, Paul describes properly equipped women who were appointed to teach.   “No restriction is mentioned in the numerous references to teachers and teaching in the Epistles except in 1 Timothy 2:12, where it is required that learning precede teaching,” writes Gilbert Bilezikian.

In most cases, those who forbid women to teach in the church based on Paul’s words in 1 Timothy, do not require women to wear the head coverings described by Paul in I Corinthians 11.  Furthermore, those who would not permit a woman to teach in a “main service,” often have no such problem with women or couples teaching in children’s or student ministry, yet the Bible makes no such age distinction.  These two examples are not meant to deflect the argument, but to point out the complexity of the situation.

Wayne Grudem writes:

We must also admit that evangelical churches have often failed to recognize the full equality of men and women, and thereby have failed to count women equal in value to men. The result has been a tragic failure to recognize that God often gives women equal or greater spiritual gifts than men, a failure to encourage women to have full and free participation in the various ministries of the church, and a failure to take full account of the wisdom that God has given to women with respect to important decisions in the life of the church. If the present controversy over women’s roles in the church can result in the eradication of some of these past abuses, then the church as a whole will benefit greatly.

In Gifted to Lead, Nancy Beach encourages male pastors to develop women leaders and teachers for several reasons:

  • For the sake of the congregation:  Women leaders and teachers offer an important perspective and experience essential for both men and women in the church.  She notes that most churches have a higher percentage of women in attendance.  We’ve certainly experiences this through Suzy’s teaching.
  • For the sake of the unchurched in our community:  A church that does not rely on the leadership of qualified and skilled women can appear out of touch with reality.  What we communicate, and the way we communicate, and who communicates, speak to our values.  Women need to hear from Godly male and female leaders.
  • For the sake of the staff:  A team that involves qualified women will make better decisions.  Women have gifts, skills and wisdom that can help a church accomplish it’s mission.
  • For the sake of our daughters:  Decisions about women in leadership will have a ripple effect for years to come.

The women on staff at Oak Leaf Church are extremely talented and gifted.  Those gifts deserve a platform and a place of expression.  Ladies like Suzy Jordan have been called and gifted to teach, and we would be wise to learn from their insight.

The Senior Pastor

The Biblical relationship of women and men in marriage, and the example of Christ’s headship in the church provide a good model for leadership in the local church.

The senior pastor or lead elder is ultimately responsible for the leadership of the local body of Christ.  The financial situation of the church, the ministries of evangelism and discipleship, and the effectiveness of the staff all points back to my leadership.  I am responsible and accountable for everything that happens during our church services.

If a guest speaker comes in and teaches false doctrine, that’s a reflection on my pastoral leadership and I’m responsible to correct it.  No matter who is teaching from the platform or pulpit, I am accountable. When Suzy, another member of the teaching team, or a guest speaker preach at Oak Leaf Church, they do so under my authority, regardless of if they are male or female.

Can a Woman Be a Senior Pastor, Lead Pastor or Lead Elder?

Before answering this question, we must affirm that the Bible teaches that there are important distinctions between men and women.

In Biblical Eldership, Alexander Strauch writes “Discrimination against women is a grievous sin and a dishonor to God in whose image women are created. Yet in our zeal to right the wrongs committed against women, we must not forget that God designed male-female distinctions in order for the sexes to beautifully complement each other and to exercise different functions in society. To deny those distinctions is as destructive and dishonorable as it is to discriminate against women. We need to be perfectly clear about the biblical teaching regarding women and men as fully equal in personhood, dignity, and value, but distinct in gender roles.”

John Piper writes in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, “Over the years I have come to see from the Scripture and from life, that manhood and womanhood are the beautiful handiwork of a good and loving God. He designed our differences, and they are profound. They are not mere physiological pre-requisites for sexual union. They go into the very root of our personhood.”

God created us male and female, with unique attributes and distinctions.  There is a difference.

In the Old Testament, the highest spiritual authority came from the priests, the male descendants of Aaron.  In the New Testament, Jesus appointed men to be apostles, and this pattern is carried forward in the early churches, were the elders and pastors (the words are often used synonymously) are men.  In listing the qualifications of an elder, Paul tells Timothy that an Elder must be the husband of one wife.  In 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Paul consistently uses male pronouns to describe the office of an elder.

This does not mean that women are not gifted to teach and called to leadership, however it does mean, that based on the example of the Old Testament priests and New Testament apostles, that the role of Lead Elder should be a man.

For Further Reading

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January 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Here’s a Great Sermon Illustration

Here’s a great sermon illustration that you could use in your preaching.  After you read, would you leave a comment and share your feedback.  Is this helpful for you?  Do you think you would use it?  Would you save it for later?

Title: How a failed video game led to the most successful game franchise in history
Tags: failure, second chance, leadership, mistakes

In 1980, a Japanese company called Nintendo came out with an arcade came called Radar Scope. If you’ve ever seen a game called Space Invaders, it looked a lot like that. It was a shoot-em-up, one button, one joystick video game.

It quickly became Nintendo’s biggest game of the year in Japan and Nintendo looked to expand into America. Hiroshi Yamauchi, who took over the company from his grandfather in 1949 set up his son-in-law to run Nintendo of America.

Yamauchi decided to go all in on Radar Scope and started manufacturing thousands of cabinets and shipping them from Japan to a warehouse in New Jersey. They were able to pre-sell about 1,000 of them, but 2,000 more remained in that New Jersey warehouse collecting dust. Nobody was biting…nobody was buying.

When they realized that Radar Scope wasn’t going to sell anymore, they began promising a new smash hit.

So here was Hinoru Arakawa with 2,000 useless video game consoles and a promise to deliver a smash hit that nobody had developed yet. He announced an internal competition and received several ideas from a young employee with no video game experience.

He took a basic story – a guy trying to rescue a girl from an evil villain. And the villain would be a giant gorilla. They made the decision to take these 2,000 Radar Scope video games and convert them to a new game.

At the time, conversion kits were commonly used to update older games to get a few more quarters out of the kids. It’s the equivalent of reheating yesterdays leftovers.

They took the Radar Scope cabinet and turned the monitor sideways, so the game would play from the bottom of the screen to the top of the screen. They created a story…a common plumber saves a girl from an evil villain. The little plumber with the mission of rescuing the girl was known as “jumpman” and was given the name Mario, a suggestion from the owner of the warehouse where these 2,000 video game cabinets were being retooled. The evil villain holding the girl hostage would be a giant gorilla. The game would be called King King.

They removed the old game board and put a new one in. They connected the wiring harness, slid out the old plastic art and slid in new art panels. It took two months, but all 2,000 video games were converted.

The hero from King Kong would go on to star in several other video games, including Super Mario Brothers…Nintendo’s biggest selling video game ever. Mario has starred in more than 200 titles.

If Radar Scope had been more popular, Donkey Kong probably wouldn’t have been invented. But a leader named Arakawa and his team at Nintendo took a failure and turned it into a successful game, and in the process, created the most successful video game character of all time.

WHERE YOU COULD TAKE THIS

1. Second Chances. 
“God, my God, I yelled for help and you put me together. God, you pulled me out of the grave, gave me another chance at life when I was down-and-out.” – Psalm 30:2 (The Message)

2. God isn’t through with you. “…for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” – Romans 11:29

3. Failure isn’t fatal. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength
of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:26 (NASB)

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January 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Andy Stanley Sermon Notes // Going Public

Going Public – A Message on Baptism from Andy Stanley

Everyone has an opinion of baptism that’s shaped almost entirely by their church tradition. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus told his followers to go into all the world and baptize people.

The Meaning of the Word “Baptize”

The word “baptize” is a transliteration of a Greek word. Transliteration isn’t the same as translation – it’s taking the Greek letters and just writing their English counterpart. In Greek, the first century word we use for baptism literally means to “wash, plunge, soak or dip.” A first century recipe would have said in order to make pickles, you baptize them in vinegar.

Mark 7:4 and Luke 11:38 use the word baptize to indicate washing. So in one sense, this word didn’t have an overly religious connotation. Here’s how the word came to be associated with religion:

Between the Testaments, groups of Jews came up with a way for non-Jews to “convert” to Judaism. Each group had a slightly different list, but there was a ceremony involving:

  1. Circumcision (it’s a wonder there were any male converts!)
  2. Covenant meal (perhaps a replica of passover)
  3. Acknowledgment or memorization of the law
  4. A special sacrifice
  5. A ceremonial washing

Gentiles who wanted to become Jews went through a personal ceremonial wash to indicate that they were adopting this new way of living.

Around 30 AD, a guy named John showed up preaching that being Jewish wasn’t good enough. He talked about repentance. He told people their heart mattered. And he baptized people. This was a brand new thing, and he picked up the nickname “John the Baptizer.”

What Does Baptism Mean Today?

Baptism symbolizes a close identification with a message. It is a public declaration of a new association. It’s also a personal declaration of a new association. It’s not a condition of salvation, but an evidence of salvation.

When it comes to baptism, the form isn’t as important as the timing. Christians should be baptized as soon as possible after they make their declaration of faith and choose to follow Jesus.

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December 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

What the Bible Says About Marijuana

The Bible does not directly address the issue of marijuana, though advocates frequently cite this verse:

“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.” (Genesis 9:3, NKJV).

I’m not sure God had smoking pot in mind with that herbal reference.

The reality is that the Bible is an ancient text, and while it gives many principles for righteous living, they are not placed in a modern context.  If we look to the Bible for a list of what is allowed or not allowed, we will miss much of the point – that the Bible isn’t primarily a rulebook for living, but the Story of God’s redemptive plan for His people.

However, the Bible does give several guiding principles that are relevant to this issue.  First of all, the Bible is clear that body is important.  In fact, the Bible says the body is the “temple of God.

“If any one destroys [or abuses] God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are.” (1Corinthians 3:17, RSV).

“And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?  For you are the temple of the living God.  As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them.  I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.  Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.  I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’” (2Corinthians 6:16-18, NKJV)

What we do with our body matters.  How we treat our temple matters.  For this reason, I don’t believe that we should put substances into our body that we know to be harmful and dangerous.  The Bible never says that smoking cigarettes is wrong, but we know nicotine is dangerous and harmful to the body, so we should avoid it.  Eating pancakes for breakfast and Big Macs for lunch every day is not good for the body, so we should learn to eat healthy foods and exercise.   There are a lot of preachers who preach against drinking alcohol, but they can’t see their toes because they eat too much gravy.  The idea is that we should take care of our body, not abuse it.  Drugs, alcohol abuse, over-eating…all of these things harm our bodies.

Numerous studies have shown that marijuana use is bad for you, no matter how cool the movies make it look.  According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, short-term effects of marijuana use include euphoria, distorted perceptions, memory impairment, and difficulty thinking and solving problems.   Those are not good things!  Marijuana clearly affects the mind, and in many cases, it impairs it.

According to the Mayo Clinic, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke and has the potential to cause cancer of the lungs and respiratory tract.  Clearly this is contradictory to the biblical mandate to keep our bodies pure.  It also sounds like smoking pot might make you die quicker.

In discussing the subject to of alcohol, the Bible is clear that being drunk is a sin. Ephesians 5:18 says that we should not be drunk with wine but be filled with the Sprit.  The issue here is one of control.

Anything that controls our body is bad.  Alcohol is a controlling substance, so abuse is not permitted in scripture.  Drugs like marijuana are also controlling substances, so using them is not a good idea.  We shouldn’t be controlled by anything but God.  Even though it is not physically addictive, it is psychologically addictive; using it creates cravings and affects behaviors.

Finally, marijuana is illegal in the United States, and the Bible is very clear that we are to obey the laws of the land.

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:1-2).

If you’re a child (which means still under their care, the Bible is also clear that we are supposed to obey our parents (even if we don’t agree with them)

Sometimes, we get caught up in right vs. wrong questions.  A better question might be, “What is the wise thing to do?”  Many people have tried to use the Bible to prove that a certain behavior (like using marijuana) is allowed.  It’s best not to try and make the Bible say more or less than what it says, but to take God’s Word at face value.  In the areas where questions still persist, asking, “what is the wise thing to do?” may be a great option.

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December 14, 2011 By 1 Comment

What the Bible Says about Homosexuality

What does the Bible say about homosexuality?

First of all, it’s important to understand that God wants what is best for us.  He is the author of life and wants to bless His children. God is also the author of every good thing.  He created Adam and Eve and placed them in a perfect garden.  Part of this perfect life included sex, as Adam and Eve were both naked and not ashamed.  Sex is a good thing, and a gift from God.

But like many things, we take what God has give us and twist them.  What God means for good, sin twists and it becomes bad.  So wine becomes drunkenness.  Hobbies become idols.  Sex becomes pornography.  Much of what we struggle with is the result of a broken and fallen world, a world that is not as God intended and a world that will one day be restored.

So with that in mind, what does the Bible say about homosexuality and homosexual activity?

Homosexuality is not allowed in the Old Testament.  The book of Leviticus (Chapter 18 and 22) clearly describe homosexuality as sin. But there were lots of cultural things forbidden in the Old Testament, so how do we know that homosexuality shouldn’t be treated like the sacrifices or the clothing laws?

Well, the New Testament also speaks out against the issue of homosexuality, specifically in Romans 1.  Here, Paul is teaching the Romans that they are guilty of sin because, among other things, they participated in homosexual activity.  In the Bible, homosexuality is one of the results of denying and disobeying God.  In Matthew 19:4, Jesus affirmed marriage, saying that God’s original design for humanity was male and female.

There are some other things in the Bible that are important.

Adultery is having sex with anyone that is not your spouse. This is off limits according to the Old Testament and New Testament. (Exodus 20:14, I Corinthians 6:9-10, Matthew 5:28)

Fornication is another word the Bible uses to discuss sexual sin (I Corinthians 5:1; 6:13, 18; Ephesians 5:3).  This big word basically means illicit sexual activity between people who aren’t married.

The Bible, not any person’s opinion, is our source for truth.  This means that as Christians, the Bible must be our final authority.  Even if we don’t like it, we go with what the Bible says.  People frequently try to find loopholes in the Bible or don’t take it at face value because they don’t like what it says.  This is not a wise thing.

It’s important to understand that the Bible does not say that homosexuality is a “greater” sin than others, nor is it an “unforgivable” sin.  All sin is offensive to God.  When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the price for ALL sin.  Jesus loves all sinners and wants all of us to turn to him for forgiveness.

Matt Chandler, a pastor in Dallas, Texas does the best job I’ve seen of dealing with this in an honest, Biblical and authentic manner in a seminar delivered at his church. You can watch that talk here.

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November 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Milk and Meat

God is love. That’s milk.
God is love, but God’s wrath is poured out on sinners. That’s meat.

Pray for the missionaries. That’s milk.
Live on mission. That’s meat.

Feel the Spirit. That’s milk.
Wrestle with the Trinity. That’s meat.

Be a kind person. That’s milk.
Sacrificially give and be a part of God’s mission. That’s meat.

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