GULF COAST PASTOR

Preparing an Obituary and Funeral Service; Part 1

2012-02-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. -Psalm 116:15

Several years ago I led our church is a study on Wednesday nights on “Preparing an Obituary.” It was very well received. It gave me the opportunity to teach a few things I’ve learned through my years of pastoring a Baptist church and preaching a number of funerals. It even gave the opportunity to laugh at ourselves and others when that couldn’t be done at the time of a funeral. It can be good to discuss a matter before you’re too emotionally involved. So this series of articles covers some of these issues.

Many have never considered writing an obituary until someone unexpectedly dies. They then have very little time to gather their information and often important information is neglected.

Much of this can be done ahead of time.

When the time comes, you will want to get this information as soon as possible to the Funeral Home, newspapers, etc.

Keep this information in an easy to find place. Make a couple of copies to give to other family members.

Do not write in all italics or all capitals; this makes it difficult to read.

After the funeral, keep copies of obituary for historical reasons. Always include or add name of newspaper, city, state, and date of newspaper obituary.

Keep the basic newspaper obituary fairly brief. Make it too long and people just stop reading.

Make things plain and easy to understand. Assume that many who read it will not know inside information with which you may be familiar. Make it so someone who never knew the deceased will understand the facts and details. Write in such a way that someone will understand if they read the obituary 100 years in the future.

You may want to make a more extensive obituary to just distribute to close family and friends. In this, include as much more information as you like to keep for a family history. You could also send this to a local historical library, etc. You may want to post it on a genealogy site on the internet.

Basics of an Obituary
Include the following if applicable:

1. Full Name:

2. Nickname, name, or initials they went by; in quotation marks or parenthesis.

3. Maiden Name:

4. Residence: (city, town, county, state)

5. Date of Birth: (month, day, full year)

6. Place of Birth: (town, state, county, country)

7. Date of Death: (month, day, full year)

8. Place of Death: (city, town, state)

9. Age:

10. Where they lived.

11. Place of Funeral Service:

12. Date of Funeral Service:

13. Time of Service:

14. Interment: (Burial site. Include town or county, state)

15. Officiating Minister / Clergyman (full name, title, church, city.)

16. Church Affiliation (complete name and mailing address of church; some may want to send a memorial donation.)

17. Occupation

18. Military

19. Affiliations / Education / Accomplishments

20. Preceded in Death: (parents, spouse, children, siblings)

21. Survived By: (name & residence: parents, spouse, children, siblings; grand children, nieces, nephews, etc. You may choose to just include the number of great grandchildren, etc.)

22. Arrangements by what Funeral Home (name, city, state)

23. Visitation: (Place, date, times; usually the evening before the funeral.)

24. Have a photo ready for newspapers, etc. Write name, address, dates on back of photo so those who did not know him will know who it is.

As soon as possible, contact those you wish to participate in the Memorial Service. Don’t expect the pastor and others to automatically know you want them; ask them. This way they can also inform you early, if they have a conflict with the time of the funeral service.

If the deceased was a preacher, missionary, church staff, make sure you send the information to your Baptist State Paper and any schools from which they graduated. Ask them to publish it in the appropriate column. In addition, you may want to have the obituary published in newspapers where they were born or formerly lived.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, February 7, AD 2012.

To be continued.

Why We Don't Use Alcohol For The Lord's Supper

2012-01-23T06:35:00.000-08:00

Some today are leading churches to begin using alcoholic wine instead of unfermented wine or grape juice in observance of the Lord’s Supper. I’ve personally heard of several such instances in recent days.

It is often presented as more biblical to use alcoholic wine in the Lord’s Supper. A careful study of ancient wine and the Bible, however, along with medical evidence and common sense, may show Baptists have actually been more biblical than some assert.

Following are a few reasons why the big majority of Baptists do not use alcoholic wine in the ordinance (not sacrament) of the Lord’s Supper:

1. Even though the word wine referred to both fermented and unfermented wine in Bible times, the word wine is never used in Scripture referring to the Lord’s Supper. Instead, “cup,” or “fruit of the vine.” The best representative of fruit of the vine would be the juice immediately pressed; rather than that processed and made alcoholic. Scripture certainly never says to use alcohol for the Lord’s Supper.

2. Alcohol is a poison that immediately impairs judgment, kills brain cells, and makes men do what they would never do in their right minds. It is made by the process of rotting good, fresh, sweet unfermented wine. Why use that to represent the precious, pure, redeeming blood of Jesus?

3. Why use a drug to represent the blood of Jesus?

4. Why teach saved children to drink that which is a recreational drug? Why lead anyone by example to drink? Why use a church ordinance to lead someone astray? Alcohol has led multitudes astray.

5. Unfermented wine or grape juice in no way diminishes from the symbolism and biblical teaching of the Lord’s Supper. There are no harmful side effects of unfermented wine.

6. Jesus said when He would drink again with the disciples, it would be new wine (Matthew 26:29).

7. The bread of Passover and the Lord’s Supper is to be unleavened. It naturally follows that the cup should also be without leaven or ferment.

8. There are a multitude of good reasons not to drink; there are no good reasons to drink beverage alcohol.

9. The ancients had available throughout the year, and knew multiple ways to preserve, unfermented wine. Certain kinds of good keeping grapes were kept throughout the year and pressed for fresh, sweet wine (Genesis 40:11). Ancient accounts tell of churches pressing grapes directly into the cup for the Lord’s Supper. Early churches also made unfermented wine from raisins. Jews also used these processes. Unfermented wine was common, and commonly preserved in Bible times.

The oft heard dogmatic pronouncements, “Jesus and the disciples had to use fermented wine for Passover since it was six months after the grape harvest,” and, “It was impossible to prevent fermentation until the discovery of pasteurization in the 1800s,” are absolutely, demonstrably false.

10. Priests were forbidden to drink wine during worship (Leviticus 10:8-10; Ezekiel 44:21). Why should a pastor drink alcoholic wine during his pastoral duties?

11. Using new wine or grape juice will in no way cause a struggling alcoholic, or anyone else, to stumble.

12. For those who insist the Corinthians used alcoholic wine for the Lord’s Supper: (1) It never says they did. (2) “Drunk” is contrasted with not having enough to eat, and the passage is only speaking of eating, not wine. (3) The word “drunk” can obviously mean intoxicated, but it can also simply mean filled or satiated. (4) Even if the Corinthians were using alcoholic wine for the Lord’s Supper, Paul is not complimenting them but reproving them. (5) Should we use what may be the most immature church in the New Testament as our example in this regard?

Former SBC President Herschel H. Hobbs said it well,

“The elements used in this Supper were unleavened bread and ‘the fruit of the vine.’ The word ‘wine’ is not used. Some interpret ‘fruit of the vine’ as wine. However, as the bread was unleavened, free of bacteria, was the cup also not grape juice? Wine is the product of the juice plus fermentation caused by bacteria. Since both elements represented the pure body and blood of Jesus, there is reason to ponder. The writer sees ‘fruit of the vine’ as pure grape juice untainted by fermentation.”

-Brumbelow is a pastor and author of “The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow” and “Ancient Wine and the Bible.” (This article was previously published at SBC Voices.)

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, January 23, AD 2012.

Much more information on this subject in the book, Ancient Wine and the Bible: The Case for Abstinence.
Ancient Wine and the Bible - the book
Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times
2006 SBC Resolution on Alcohol Use in America
Other articles in lower right margin.

Cooperative Program Not Intended to Send Money to International Missions

2012-01-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

Some well meaning Baptists are criticizing the Cooperative Program (CP). They present it as though the CP is meant to get money to the foreign mission field, but the callous state conventions and other entities scoop up so much of it, only a small percentage gets to the international mission field. That appears to me a little unfair.

The purpose of giving through the CP is not to get money to the International Mission Board (IMB). The purpose of giving through the CP is to get money and resources to the Baptist ministries of the State Convention, national Southern Baptist Convention, AND to the IMB.

Why not give it all to the IMB? Do that and soon our own state and national ministries will suffer. Without a strong church base here in America, the money and resources going to the international field will decrease or even disappear.

The purpose of giving through the CP is to give to the varied ministries of the State Convention: supporting state leadership, conventions, evangelism conferences, evangelism promotion and materials, ministries to churches and pastors, church starting, State Baptist Newspapers, Christian education, and the list goes on.

The purpose of giving through the CP is to give to the varied ministries of the national Southern Baptist Convention. That includes our national SBC leadership, the annual meeting of the SBC, six SBC seminaries, the SBC Historical Library, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the North American Mission Board (NAMB).

And, of course, the purpose of giving through the CP is also to support the IMB.

Each Southern Baptist Church autonomously decides the percentage they will and can send through the CP. This is sent to their State Convention.

Each State Baptist Convention autonomously decides the percentage they will use for their state ministries and what percentage they can and will forward to the national SBC.

Some states have fewer churches than many Baptist Associations. Some struggle financially and it is more difficult for them to send large percentages on to the SBC. But the long term goal has been for all states to eventually get to a 50/50 split between the state and the national SBC.

The SBC then divides up their portion of the CP among their national and worldwide ministries. I believe it speaks well of Sothern Baptists that we send roughly 50% of this national portion of the CP to the IMB. 50% goes to international missions! Another roughly 25% of the national CP then goes to the NAMB! About 75% of the national CP goes to missions! Add to this the two annual missions offerings sent exclusively to the IMB and NAMB. Don’t tell me Southern Baptists care little for missions.

Not all churches can or do give 10% or 15% or even more of their undesignated funds to the CP. God bless those who do! But whatever percentage a church gives through the CP, that is a profound way of promoting Christ’s Kingdom throughout your state, your nation, and the world.

Note: All agencies of the national SBC subscribe to the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. That means they believe in and promote the inerrancy of the Bible, or that the Bible is totally true and trustworthy.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, January 9, AD 2012.

The Afterglow of Christmas

2011-12-21T15:47:00.000-08:00

The Afterglow

After the carols have ended
And the gifts have been placed away,
The candles burned out their brightness
And the snow has melted to gray;
After the holly has withered
And the berries have all turned brown,
The carpets sparkled with tinsel
When the needles came tumbling down,
With all the merriment ending
And the embers are burning low,
May the Christ, the Heart of Christmas,
Fill and brighten the afterglow.
-unknown

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, December 21, AD 2011.

Was John Newton A Calvinist?

2011-12-19T06:11:00.000-08:00

Who gave Himself a ransom for all. -1 Timothy 2:6

John Newton is the famous author of the hymn Amazing Grace. Newton lived a wicked life. He served as captain on a slave ship. But eventually he was gloriously saved, came to oppose slavery, and preach the Gospel. American Tract Society has a great tract on him, The Amazing Story of Amazing Grace.

Was John Newton a Calvinist? The answer is yes, and no.

Newton claimed to be a Calvinist. That is pretty good evidence. The point is this - there are a hundred different varieties of Calvinists. What kind of Calvinist was he?

Some Baptists claim to be non-Calvinists, meaning they are neither Arminian or 5-point Calvinist. Others, believing the same thing, call themselves Moderate Calvinists. This would stand in contrast to more Strict Calvinism or 5-point Calvinism.

Many have put it that all Southern Baptists are Calvinists because they at least agree with one of the five points of Calvinism; the one called Perseverance of the Saints. This is also referred to as Eternal Security, or Once Saved, Always Saved. In this sense, we are all at least Moderate Calvinists. Many Moderate Calvinists would also say they believe in other of the five points of Calvinism, depending on how they are defined.

On the other hand, most Southern Baptists reject one of the five points of Calvinism known as Limited Atonement. The big majority of Southern Baptists believe Jesus sacrificially died for all people on the face of the earth (John 1:29; 3:16-17; Romans 5:6.; 2 Corinthians 5:14-16, 19; 1 Timothy 2:4, 6; 4:10; Hebrews 2:9; 2 Peter 2:1; 3:9; 1 John 2:2). A Strict Calvinist, however, believes Jesus only died for the elect, those who will eventually get saved (Limited Atonement).

Some Strict Calvinists of today love to point out Christian leaders of the past as Calvinists, implying they believed in all five points of Calvinism. The reality is many of them were more of the Moderate rather than the Strict 5-point variety.

Now back to John Newton. It is interesting that he gently reproved some of the more militant Calvinists of his day.

Did John Newton believe in the modern day view of all five points of Calvinism? Apparently not. It appears that Newton was of the more Moderate Calvinist variety.

Evidently John Newton did not believe in Limited Atonement. Why? Consider a couple of his hymns, and you be the judge.

My Soul Once Had it’s Plenteous Years

O sinners, hear His gracious call!
His mercy’s door stands open wide,
He has enough to feed you all,
And none who come shall be denied.
-John Newton

Now Let Us Join With Hearts and Tongues

When angels by transgression fell,
Justice consigned them all to hell;
But mercy formed a wondrous plan,
To save and honor fallen man.
…
O glorious hour, it comes with speed
When we from sin and darkness freed,
Shall see the God Who died for man,
And praise Him more than angels can.
-John Newton

In his hymns, Newton often says Jesus died for sinners. All are sinners.

It appears John Newton was indeed a Calvinist, but one of the more Moderate variety. Evidently he did not believe the view of Limited Atonement.

Note: It also seems evident from their writings that John Calvin himself, and B. H. Carroll, founding president of SWBTS, also believed Jesus died for all mankind.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, December 19, AD 2011.

Related Articles (find many more in lower right margin).
Unlimited Atonement, Jesus Died For All
Books on Calvinism, Predestination

"Merry Christmas" is Preferred by Customers

2011-12-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. -Isaiah 9:6

The Christian Post (christianpost.com; 12-5-2011) reported,

“A recent Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 70 percent of American adults prefer retailers to use ‘Merry Christmas’ signs. Twenty-four percent of those polled would rather see ‘Happy Holidays.’ According to the survey, many adults across almost all demographic groups prefer ‘Merry Christmas,’ with young adults feeling as strong as older adults.”

I hope and pray more retail stores and even Christians themselves realize it can be more offensive to refuse to use the word Christmas at Christmas.

Stores, prominently display your “Merry Christmas” signs. Tell your employees they can actually wish their customers a “Merry Christmas.”

May we all remember and emphasize the true, biblical meaning of Christmas.

So this month I wish all a Merry, Christ-honoring Christmas!

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, December 7, AD 2011.

L. R. Scarborough on Soul-Winning

2011-12-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

Plan of Salvation
“The winner needs to be right on the plan of salvation. This is basic. Salvation is by grace through faith plus nothing. [He goes on to quote Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 3:24; Titus 3:5.] The conditions of this grace are repentance (Acts 3:19; 17:30; 19:4; 20:21) and faith (John 1:12; 3:16-36; 5:24).”
-L. R. Scarborough, With Christ After the Lost, Southwestern Library of Centennial Classics, revised by E. D. Head; 1942, 2008.

Soul Winning and Worldly Pleasure
“Indulgence in worldly pleasures is death to our influence in winning men to Christ, and the harboring of secret sins is spiritual paralysis to our power with God. ‘Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost’ (1 Corinthians 6:19), and God’s temple should be untainted.”
-L. R. Scarborough, With Christ After the Lost.

Associate with Soul-Winners
Association with great soul-winners, in person and through books, will stimulate your own compassion of heart. Eternity alone will tell the full story of the influence of Paul, of Spurgeon, of Moody, in creating the soul-winning hunger in others.”
-L. R. Scarborough, With Christ After the Lost.

Zechariah 4:6
“Eloquence and charm of voice in song or speech may sweep men off their feet temporarily, but it takes the power of God to win them from their sins and regenerate them.”
-L. R. Scarborough, With Christ After the Lost.

L. R. Scarborough (AD 1870-1945) was a pastor, evangelist, author, founded and taught the first seminary “Chair of Evangelism,” and was the second president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, Texas (swbts.edu). Scarborough also served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. His book, With Christ After the Lost, was used for many years in seminaries as an evangelism textbook.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, December 1, AD 2011.

L. R. Scarborough on Tracts
Other articles listed in lower right margin.

John R. Rice and the Sword of the Lord; Part 2

2011-11-22T08:01:00.000-08:00

And they cried, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!” -Judges 7:20

Some of the strengths of John R. Rice’s paper, the Sword of the Lord:

1. It emphasized and taught the importance of the Fundamentals of the Faith. It emphasized biblical inspiration and inerrancy, the Trinity, Virgin Birth of Christ, His sinless life, His blood shed on the cross for our salvation, His literal resurrection, the Second Coming, Resurrection, Judgment, Heaven, Hell.

2. It emphasized personal soul-winning, evangelism, revivals, and missions. It taught personal work and how to present the plan of salvation.

3. It presented great Christian preachers, singers, missionaries. Gave their sermons and their life stories. Men like D. L. Moody, R. A. Torrey, H. A. Ironside, Charles Spurgeon, Sam Jones, Billy Sunday, and Southern Baptists mentioned below. I learned much about such men through the Sword.

4. Gave great sermons from great preachers, past and present.

5. Gave great illustrations to explain and illuminate biblical truth. One of the best things a preacher can do for his preaching is to use good, interesting illustrations, stories, and sometimes humor.

6. While independent Baptist, Rice did not shy from featuring great conservative Southern Baptist preachers like W. A. Criswell, George W. Truett, L. R. Scarborough, B. H. Carroll, E. J. Daniels, Adrian Rogers, Vance Havner, J. Harold Smith, R. G. Lee.

7. While independent Baptist, the Sword had a wide appeal to Southern Baptists and those who were conservative of other denominations. In a sense it was ecumenical, as long as one believed in the Fundamentals of the Faith.

8. Rice knew how to publicize, advertise and get the word out about subscribing to the Sword. He emphasized it in his revivals and Bible Conferences. He emphasized churches subscribing their members. The Sword of the Lord subscription list was over 200,000.

9. It swayed the Southern Baptist Convention in the right direction. The Conservative Resurgence might never have happened without the influence of the Sword of the Lord. While Rice’s advice was to leave the SBC, many conservatives decided to stay and fight for the fundamental doctrines of the faith like biblical inerrancy. Thank God they were successful.

10. John R. Rice never gave in to the new doctrine of King James Only. While he preferred the King James Version, he recognized the historic Christian position was the divine inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible as originally written, not the inspiration or inerrancy of a particular translation. Rice and R. L. Sumner wrote articles in the Sword against King James Only.

11. The Sword of the Lord presented the importance of a preacher’s family life.

12. The Sword of the Lord presented the importance of having good Christian literature in the home of all believers.

13. The Sword of the Lord emphasized prayer, revival, and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Some of Rice’s best books are Prayer: Asking and Receiving, and The Power of Pentecost. While disagreeing with some charismatic doctrine, he strongly believed in the filling and power of the Holy Spirit.

Read John R. Rice’s books. You will not always agree, but you will be blessed. You will be grounded in the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. You will be moved to tell people about Jesus and His salvation. You may catch a bit of the fire of revival.

Note:
John R. Rice’s associate, Evangelist and Editor Dr. R. L. Sumner, is still going strong today. Support and subscribe to his paper, The Biblical Evangelist. Sumner has a number of outstanding books as well.

John R. Rice’s personal correspondence was given to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary several years ago. I believe this correspondence will eventually go to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where Rice once studied.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, November 22, AD 2011.

Other Articles:
John R. Rice and the Sword of the Lord; Part 1
Brief History of SBC Conservative Resurgence
Deacons - Basic Baptist Doctrines
Books on Calvinism, Predestination
Wit And Wisdom Of My Dad (Wit & Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow, the book)
Ancient Wine and the Bible - the book
More articles found in lower right margin.

John R. Rice and the Sword of the Lord; Part 1

2011-11-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

And they cried, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!” -Judges 7:20

Some of my earliest memories are of the magazine, Sword of the Lord, arriving in the mail and of my preacher dad poring over it. He often used some of the material in his sermons. As I grew a little older we would practically fight over who got to look it over first.

Some of my early convictions and beliefs were formed from articles in the Sword. We, however, also felt free to disagree with it, and did that as well.

Dr. John R. Rice was the founder and editor of the Sword of the Lord, founding it in the 1930s. Rice was a Southern Baptist preacher who eventually left the SBC to become an independent Baptist or a Fundamentalist. Rice never hesitated to reveal cases of liberalism in the SBC.

John R. Rice (1895-1980) was educated at Decatur Baptist College (now Dallas Baptist University), Baylor University, University of Chicago, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He authored over 200 books and pamphlets. He was an evangelist and a personal soul-winner.

Some would subscribe, get mad at an article, cancel their subscription, then later give in and subscribe again. I recall one preacher who must have done that a half dozen times!

Many credit John R. Rice with having significant influence, though indirect, in the Conservative Resurgence in the SBC. Most every conservative SBC leader had subscribed to the Sword of the Lord through the years. Such conservative leaders include Adrian Rogers, Jerry Vines, Paige Patterson.

Since 1980 the Sword of the Lord has radically changed in some directions and is not what it used to be. Some years ago one of John R. Rice’s daughters wrote an open letter expressing the dismay of so many at the way the Sword had changed. For example, the Sword of the Lord is now King James Only, a position never taken by Rice or his close associate R. L. Sumner. Today the Sword is much more exclusionary and separated from Southern Baptists. Rice used to often feature Southern Baptists authors, past and present. In my opinion, R. L. Sumner’s Biblical Evangelist (be sure to subscribe to print copy) is closer to the original Sword of the Lord, than the changed, current Sword.

Next article:
John R. Rice and the Sword of the Lord; Part 2
Strengths of John R. Rice’s Sword of the Lord

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, November 8, AD 2011.

Other Articles:
Brief History of SBC Conservative Resurgence
Deacons - Basic Baptist Doctrines
Find others in lower right hand margin.

Obituary - Harold Sellers

2011-10-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. -1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

Harold Lamar Sellers, born May 25, 1937, died September 23, 2011 at the age of 74. At the time of his death he was the Director of Missions (DOM) for Madison Baptist Association in Alabama. He had previously served pastorates in Alabama and Texas, and as DOM of the Coastal Plains Baptist Area (Colorado Baptist Association & San Felipe Baptist Association), Texas from1987-2004. He was a graduate of Houston Baptist University.

The Moultrie Observer, Huntsville, Alabama noted in Sellers’ obituary, “He had a ‘heart’ for others in ministry and first responders, dedicating much of his life to supporting police officers as chaplain with the Rosenberg Police Department in Texas and Huntsville Police Department in Alabama.”

Sellers was preceded in death by his parents, E.M. and Evie Lee Sellers, and by his brother, Larry Sellers. He is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Margaret; his daughter, Londa Hladky and husband John of Huntsville, Alabama; a son, Daryl Scott Sellers and wife Stephanie of Huntsville; two brothers, Kenneth Sellers of Valdosta and Ferrell Sellers of Ray City; a sister, Ernestine Dismuke of Moultrie; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Interment was at Valhalla Cemetery in Huntsville, Alabama.

Harold Sellers gave me, as a teenage preacher, one of my first opportunities to preach. As I remember, he had me preach for a Youth Day on a Sunday morning at his church in Missouri City, TX. My older brother, Steve Brumbelow, preached for him in Revival. Brother Sellers was a great example of what a pastor and a Director of Missions should be.

Harold Sellers’ obituary can be found in The Alabama Baptist, The Moultrie Observer, Colorado Baptist Association, and the Southern Baptist Texan.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, October 30, AD 2011.

Ancient Wine and the Bible - the book

2011-10-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

“Addresses the subject with keen logic, a grasp of history, and thorough exegesis of biblical literature.”
-Foreword by Dr. Paige Patterson, President, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

* Numerous quotes from ancient and modern authorities
* Examines ancient wine recipes, practices, and preservation.
* Study of controversial Bible passages.
* Chapter of quotes, stories, illustrations.

Need the answer to the tough questions about drinking, alcohol, and the Bible? Find those answers here.

What people are saying about Ancient Wine and the Bible:

“Hip Christianity may make the appeal for the use of alcohol as a witnessing tool, but David Brumbelow’s exhaustive research presents a powerful case for abstinence. I commend him for taking an unpopular stand against a popular practice.”
-Dr. Jim Richards, Executive Director, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

Destroys “myth that the ancients had no way of preserving grape juice…I happily, enthusiastically, earnestly, wholeheartedly recommend Ancient Wine and the Bible to every pastor, teacher, evangelist, deacon and humble Christian in America. It will be a good investment paying rich dividends in the days ahead.”
-Dr. R. L. Sumner, Editor, The Biblical Evangelist.

“David R. Brumbelow's passionate plea for abstinence from alcoholic drink needs to be heard attentively in our day.”
- Dr. Daniel R. Sanchez, Professor of Missions, SWBTS

“David Brumbelow has done the Church of Jesus Christ a great service by penning Ancient Wine and the Bible…This book couldn’t have come at a more opportune time…I urge all who take up this book to read it prayerfully and with a desire to understand what the Bible teaches on this serious matter.”
-Pastor Gary Small, Liberty Fundamental Baptist Church, Lynden, Washington 98264.

“A masterful job explaining the times and customs of Bible days and the scriptural use of the word ‘wine.’”
-Pastor Jeff Schreve, First Baptist Church, Texarkana, TX.

“Left no stone unturned…Comprehensive and thoroughly researched, Ancient Wine and the Bible deserves to be read, considered and heeded.”
-Mrs. John (Alice) Hatch, pastor’s wife and mother of three girls.

“The clarity, logic, and thoroughness, an outstanding attorney uses…This work is outstanding. I recommend it strongly.”
-Judge H. Paul Pressler, Justice for the 14th Court of Appeals, Houston, TX.

*******

Author David R. Brumbelow is a pastor and graduate of ETBU and SWBTS. He has previously authored a book about his dad, The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow.

How to Order
Ancient Wine and the Bible: The Case for Abstinence

Order from your local bookstore
Order from Free Church Press
Order from amazon.com
Order from Barnes & Noble
Order from Cokesbury

Or order a signed copy of Ancient Wine and the Bible directly from:
David R. Brumbelow, P.O. Box 300, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566 USA. $21 postpaid.

Ancient Wine and the Bible is 304 pages, contains over 400 reference notes (endnotes), and is published by Free Church Press.

Makes a great gift for your pastor, youth minister, student, Sunday School teacher, professor, anyone interested in this subject.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, October 10, AD 2011.

Other articles in lower right hand margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels).

Adoniram Judson's Gospel Tract, Still Used Today

2011-10-10T06:28:00.000-07:00

“There is one Being who exists eternally; who is exempt from sickness, old age, and death; who was, and is, and will be, without beginning and without end. Besides this, the true God, there is no other God…May the reader obtain light. Amen.” -Baptist Missionary Adoniram Judson

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- In 1816, Adoniram Judson, a legendary Baptist missionary to Burmese Buddhists, completed a tract that still brings Christ's light to a dark world and challenges 21st century missionaries to rethink their methods.

This summer, Judson's tract once again made it into the hands of Buddhists when professors and students from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary proclaimed the Gospel in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

"The tract was directly linked to Judson's first Burmese convert," Keith Eitel, dean of the seminary's Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions, said. Eitel came across the tract during research for an essay on Judson and had it translated into the Thai language. Eitel had been studying Judson's missions practices for a book to be published by B&H next year celebrating the bicentennial of Judson's departure from America.

Judson, who became a Baptist soon after entering the mission field, wrote the tract in order to share the Gospel with Theravada Buddhists in Burma (modern-day Myanmar). After reading the tract, Eitel thought it would have a great impact on the Theravada Buddhists in Chiang Mai as well. Responses from native Thai Christians have confirmed his theory.

"They are intrigued by how well it is written and especially its clear description of God in relation to the Trinity," Eitel said. "They found this theologically informed tract useful both for discipleship and evangelism, and they have requested more copies of the tract to help them explain the Gospel to Buddhist family members.

"It articulates the Gospel better than they can," Eitel said, adding that a new Buddhist believer who is growing in the Lord, when bombarded by family members with questions about what he now believes, may find it hard to explain because he is just learning the Christian vocabulary and concepts. But the tract can help him communicate.

"This is probably the most valuable way this tool can be used," Eitel said.

The tract also displays an evangelistic method that flies in the face of many 21st century theories about how to communicate the Gospel across cultures.

"In order to soften the apparent idea of Christ's exclusivity, some missiologists have borrowed cultural anthropology's techniques and employ a comparative model to communicate the biblical message cross-culturally," Eitel said. "The intent is to build from points of apparent similarity to apparent points of contrast in order to communicate the Gospel."

Such a method concerns Eitel, since it threatens the missionary's ability to share the Gospel with biblical integrity and clarity, he says. In contrast to this method, Eitel suggests that missionaries should begin where religions differ, although always in a spirit of kindness and respect. Judson's tract does exactly this. Even in the first sentence, he undercuts Buddhist teaching:

"There is one Being who exists eternally; who is exempt from sickness, old age, and death; who was, and is, and will be, without beginning and without end. Besides this, the true God, there is no other God."

On the other hand, Eitel said, Judson shows sensitivity to Buddhist culture and concerns. In the last paragraph of the tract, for example, Judson dates the tract, in Burmese style, as being written on day 967 "of the lord of the Saddan elephant and master of the Sakyah weapon, ... the 12th day of the wane of the moon Wahgoung, after the double beat."

Judson's prayer at the end of the tract also appeals to the Buddhist desire for enlightenment. With Judson's prayer on their lips, Eitel and the Southwestern Seminary missions team took this newly translated tract to the Buddhists of Thailand: "May the reader obtain light. Amen."

By Benjamin Hawkins. Hawkins writes for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
bpnews.net

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, October 10, AD 2011.

Sources of Gospel Tracts; Tract Racks
L. R. Scarborough on Tracts
The Roman Road of Salvation
Other articles in lower right hand margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels).

Revelation 3:20 - Can We Use It In Evangelism?

2011-10-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me. -Jesus Christ; Revelation 3:20

Some say this verse should never be used to lead someone to the Lord because it was written to a church, not to lost people. Some go so far as to ridicule the ignorance of anyone who would use it in evangelism.

In contrast, many, many Baptist and Christian preachers of the Gospel have preached this verse to not only the saved, but also to the lost. Many a lost soul has been won to the Lord through this passage of Scripture.

It is granted that the verse is primarily written to the church at Laodicea. It is also granted that this verse alone does not present the gospel or the plan of salvation in its totality. (You could even argue that about John 3:16; after all it says nothing about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.)

The plan of salvation includes our sin and separation from God, God’s holiness, His love, Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, His blood being shed for us, and his literal resurrection from the dead. We are to ask forgiveness for our sins. We are to believe and accept Jesus as our Lord (Boss, Master) and Savior. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10, 13; John 1:12; 3:16; 5:24)

But when the full plan of salvation is presented, Revelation 3:20 is valid to use in explaining the biblical concept of accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

I and many before me believe Revelation 3:20 is valid to use in evangelism because:

1. We can go too far in saying this verse is not for you. All of the Bible is written as God’s love letter to mankind.

I know you can also go too far the other way; but here I do not think that is the case. For example, Romans is addressed to the saints (Romans 1:7-8). Does anyone argue that because of this the Roman Road verses cannot be used for evangelism? If they so argue, they are wrong.

2. Jesus’ words in Revelation 3:20 are valid for a saved person. They are also valid for a lost person.

3. Jesus’ words in Revelation 3:20 illustrate Jesus’ attitude toward a lost person and what the person must do to be saved. This can be shown from many Bible passages.

Does a lost person have to do something to be saved? Yes. Jesus wholly accomplished the work of salvation. But a man must respond, must believe, must call on the name of the Lord, must reach out and receive the gift of God. (John 1:12; Romans 10:9-10, 13; John 3:16; Acts 16:30-31; etc.) In other words, a man must open the door of his heart and invite Jesus in.

A number of verses reveal that when we are saved Jesus comes to live in our hearts. Other verses refer to the Holy Spirit living within us.
Ephesians 3:17; Colossians 1:27; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Galatians 4:6; 2 Peter 1:19; John 7:38; etc. (also, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit).

4. Revelation 3:20 is given to whoever will take it. Notice Jesus’ use of the word, “anyone.” That includes the saved and the lost, all the world.

5. Just as today, the church at Laodicea would have included unsaved visitors and unsaved members (Jesus even had an unsaved disciple!)*; especially a lukewarm church like Laodicea. Jesus would certainly have known this and included them in His invitation. Just as pastors today include the saved and the lost in the public invitation they give in their church.

If Revelation 3:20 cannot be used for the lost because it was given to a church, then it would be invalid for pastors today to give a salvation invitation in church. After all, if they are in church, they surely must all be saved!

6. It could even be argued that Jesus knocking at the door and us inviting Him in is more valid for a lost person that for a saved person.

A person is welcome to disagree and use their own verses in evangelism. But those who use this verse in evangelism are not doing so out of ignorance.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, October 4, AD 2011.

* Of course, every member of a Baptist church should be a believer. The requirements to be a member of a Baptist church are usually two: You have personally received Christ as your Savior, and you have subsequently been Scripturally baptized (Beleiver's Baptism by Immersion). But we all know there are those who have made an outward profession of faith without meaning it in their hearts.

Saved By The Sinner's Prayer
The Roman Road of Salvation
Unlimited Atonement, Jesus Died For All
Many more articles in lower right margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels).

Baptists on Tithing

2011-09-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Then they faithfully brought in the offerings, the tithes, and the dedicated things. -2 Chronicles 31:12
Honor the LORD with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest. -Proverbs 3:9

Years ago Southern Baptists had a stewardship poster, “Every Baptist A Tither.” Long ago Baptists, and Christians in general, learned one of God’s basic ways of supporting the spread of the Gospel around the world was through the concept of giving tithes and offerings.

I believe in what is often called storehouse tithing. The tithe refers to 10% of your income that belongs to God. God gives us everything (Psalm 24:1; 1 Corinthians 4:7), He asks us to give back to Him 10%. He owns it all and has a right to ask for more. “Tithes and offerings” refers to a person giving 10% to the Lord; offerings refer to anything over and above the tithe, given to the Lord and His work. Storehouse tithing refers to giving your tithe to your local church. With perhaps a very few exceptions, I believe your tithe should be given to your church. You have a freedom to give over your tithe to any cause to which the Lord would lead you to give.

When Baptists get control of their debt and finances, they will have much greater freedom to give to the Lord. A beautiful thing about the tithe is that a poor man can give just as much to the Lord as a rich man.

Clear, concise examples of the tithe are found in the Law given by God to Moses:
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s. It is holy to the LORD. -Leviticus 27:30
You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. -Deuteronomy 14:22

We are commanded to,
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse. -Malachi 3:10
Today the storehouse is the local church where we meet each Lord’s Day.

Some object to the tithe saying it was a part of the Old Testament Law and we are now under Grace. (I always wonder how much these individuals are really giving.) That does not mean, though, we throw out all the Old Testament commandments.

Those who say tithing was only a part of the Old Testament Law should be aware that tithing was practiced, and apparently commanded by God, before the Law was given to Moses. Long before the Law:
Melchizedek was king of Salem and the priest of God Most High. Abraham “gave him a tithe of all.” -Genesis 14:19
Jacob made a vow to God, “All that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” -Genesis 28:22

Furthermore, Grace does not mean Jesus gave all and sacrificially died on the Cross so we might give to the Lord 1%, instead of 10%.

Jesus not only referred to the tithe, He commended it.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. -Matthew 23:23 (Also Luke 11:42).

Contrary to the opinion of some, I believe the tithe is mentioned often in the New Testament (NT). The NT never negates the tithe. Rather it reinforces it over and over. Today we sometimes speak of tithing, more often we simply speak of giving. But as we speak of giving, we are including, not excluding, tithing. When I tell my church a believer should give to the Lord, I am including tithing. The same is true in the NT. The many verses in the NT that speak of giving, embrace, include, and commend the concept of tithing.

Therefore the following Scripture speaks of storehouse tithing.
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: on the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. -1 Corinthians 16:1-2

Contrary to some Health and Wealth false preachers, God does not promise to make you wealthy, by human standards, if you tithe. There is no guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen to you. But God does promise to bless and care for you. These blessings of God are both material and spiritual; they cover this life, and the one to come. If you tithe, God will provide. Some of the sweetest testimonies I’ve ever heard have been from those who began to practice tithing.

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” -Luke 6:38

Don’t rob God (Malachi 3). Tithing is taught in God’s Word and is one way for us to show our love for God and others.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor; September 26, AD 2011.

Church Buildings - Dos and Don'ts #1
The Girl Who Saved His Ministry
Wit And Wisdom Of My Dad
What Legalism Really Means

B. H. Carroll on Drought in Texas

2011-09-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

Texas has been going through a serious drought, the worst in many years.

Back in the 1950s we had a bad drought. Stories have been told of how back then South Texas ranchers would use blow torches to burn the thorns off prickly pear cactus so the cows would have something to eat. The grass was long gone and when the cows would hear the sound of the torches they would come running, knowing the sound meant food.

Today many ranchers have had to sell all their cattle, they have nothing to feed them. The large round bales of hay are expensive and few and far between. God bless those Baptists from other states who have trucked some donated hay into Texas. Farmers have watched their crops dry and wither away. Many trees have died; it’s amazing that any un-watered trees have survived the drought. A meteorologist recently said this part of Texas would need 15 to 20 inches of rain just to catch up.

As the old saying goes, “It’s so dry the Baptists are sprinkling and the Methodists are using a damp rag.”

B. H. Carroll, founding president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, was known as an eloquent preacher. He knew well the Texas droughts of the late 1800s. He described it well:

“I have witnessed a drouth in Texas. The earth was iron and the heavens brass. Dust clouded the thoroughfares and choked the travelers. Water courses ran dry, grass scorched and crackled, corn leaves twisted and wilted, stock died around the last water holes, the ground cracked in fissures, and the song of birds died out in parched throats. Men despaired. The whole earth prayed: ‘Rain, rain, rain. O heaven, send rain.’ Suddenly a cloud rises above the horizon and floats into vision like an angel of hope. It spreads a cool shade over the burning and glowing earth. Expectation gives life to desire. The lowing herds look up. The shriveled flowers open their tiny cups. The corn leaves untwist and rustle with gladness. And just when all trusting, suffering life opens her confiding heart to the promise of relief, the cloud, the cheating cloud, like a heartless coquette,* gathers her drapery about her and floats scornfully away, leaving the angry sun free to dart his fires of death into the open heart of all suffering life.” -B. H. Carroll, founding president of SWBTS.

O Lord, please send us rain.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, September 14, AD 2011.

* Coquette - a woman who endeavors to gain the admiration and affections of men for mere self gratification; a flirt. -Living Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language; 1980.

B. H. Carroll on Hyper-Calvinism
B. H. Carroll on Inspiration of Bible
B. H. Carroll on Pastors and Alcohol
Global Warming, Global Cooling, & Climate Change

Books on Calvinism, Predestination

2011-09-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

Calvinism is sometimes referred to as Doctrines of Grace, Reformed Doctrines, Reformed Baptists, etc. Calvinism is becoming more prevalent in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Most Southern Baptists are not 5-point Calvinists, but they need to brush up on this issue.

Many non-Calvinist (or Moderate Calvinist) Baptist churches are being asked to consider 5-point Calvinists as pastor. Pastor Search Committees (Pulpit Committees) need to know what they believe and why they believe it.

For the record, if a Baptist church wants to knowingly call a Calvinist as pastor, that is their business and they are perfectly free to do so. The problem is when a church calls a Calvinist as pastor and doesn’t have a clue as to what he believes and what he plans to do in their church. I hear about such cases on a regular basis. In contrast, you can be assured that a Calvinist or Reformed Baptist church will be doubly sure the new pastor they call will be a strict Calvinist.

Some, not all, Calvinists have strangely been very critical when non-Calvinists present their beliefs about these issues. For example, some strongly attacked Jerry Vines’ John 3:16 Conference. But just as Calvinists have a right to present their beliefs in books and conferences, so does the other side. Non-Calvinists need to know solid reasons why so many reject 5-point Calvinism.

The books below will give pastors and laymen a good understanding of Calvinism from the viewpoint of a non-Calvinist. It’s great to read completely through them, but you may also want to skip around in them and keep them for future reference. If you get bogged down, just move to the next section. Have a pencil or pen ready and mark pages that answer questions you may have.

Chosen But Free: A Balanced View of God’s Sovereignty and Free Will by Norman L. Geisler; 2010.
Very good, easy to understand book by a well-known and respected conservative Christian apologist.

Whosoever Will by David L. Allen and Steve W. Lemke, B&H (Broadman & Holman); 2010.
Compiled messages presented at a Jerry Vines’ John 3:16 Conference. Scholarly defense of the large majority of Baptists who are not 5-point Calvinists. Scholarly, yet for the most part easy for most to understand. Includes messages by Jerry Vines, Paige Patterson, Richard Land, David Allen, Steve Lemke, Kevin Kennedy, R. Alan Streett… Includes a chapter on The Public Invitation and Calvinism.

Salvation and Sovereignty by Kenneth Keathley, B&H.
Another good, scholarly book on Calvinism and free will. Foreword by Paige Patterson, president of SWBTS. Keathley is professor at SEBTS.

Trouble With the Tulip by Frank Page.
Good, brief, easy to understand book. Frank Page has been pastor, SBC president, and is now Executive Director of the SBC Executive Committee.

An Examination of Tulip: The Five Points of Calvinism by R. L. Sumner, Biblical Evangelism Press, 5718 Pine Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606. $2.50 each. Not sure about postage, just send them $20 or $30 and ask for as many copies as that will purchase.
Good booklet to give members of Pastor Search Committee. Good brief booklet to give anyone interested in the subject. Sumner is editor of The Biblical Evangelist (biblicalevangelist.org). 47,000 copies of this booklet in print.

Predestined for Hell? Absolutely Not! by Adrian Rogers, Love Worth Finding, P.O. Box 38800, Memphis, TN 38183-0300, (lwf.org); 1999. $2 each.
Sermon booklet. Another good pamphlet to give a Pastor Search Committee (Pulpit Committee) or anyone else. Adrian Rogers was pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tennessee, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and a leader of the SBC Conservative Resurgence that brought Southern Baptists back to their historic belief in the inerrancy of the Bible.

Calvinism: A Baptist and His Election by Jerry Vines, CD (under “Baptist Battles”) at jerryvines.com.
Vines is the retired pastor of First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida and former SBC president. He is a prolific author and one of the leaders in the SBC Conservative Resurgence.

*******

The above books can be ordered at your local bookstore, or on the internet at places like amazon.com or lifeway.com. A couple of them may need to be ordered directly at the addresses given.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, September 5, AD 2011.

Related Articles:

Adrian Rogers on Predestination, Calvinism
Paige Patterson on Calvinism
SBC Resolution on Alcohol Use in America
Deuteronomy 14:26 - Does it Commend Alcohol?
Other articles in lower right margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels).

Adrian Rogers on Predestination, Calvinism

2011-08-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

Adrian Rogers was pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tennessee and elected three times as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He was the first president elected, and a leader in, the SBC Conservative Resurgence. His messages are still widely distributed through TV, radio, and literature. He is the favorite preacher of multitudes of Southern Baptists.

Below are a few of Adrian Rogers thoughts on predestination and Calvinism:

“Did God predestine some people for Heaven and predestine some people for Hell? Are humans just pawns on the chessboard of fate? Absolutely not!”

“There are some who…say that God has chosen some before they are born to go the Hell and others He has chosen to go to Heaven - and there’s absolutely nothing they can do about it. I don’t accept this for a moment…”

“God hardened Pharaoh’s heart because Pharaoh first hardened his own heart.”

“All God did was to crystallize the sin that was already in him [Pharaoh]. God did not take a little tender child and say, “I’m going to harden your heart and then I’m going to cast you into Hell.”

Pharaoh “had blasphemed the God of Heaven, and God had warned him. God has sent His messenger to him, but this man stubbornly and arrogantly said “no” to God. It was then that God further hardened the heart of this man whose heart was already hardened. But don’t get the idea that God just raised up Pharaoh to send him to Hell. God warned Pharaoh, but he wouldn’t heed the warning.”

On Romans 9 and Jacob and Esau; “God is not talking about two little babies, one born for Heaven and one born for Hell. That’s not what He is saying at all. This is national, not personal.” Later, “God was not talking about salvation. He was simply saying that Israel is going to be His choice, and the descendants of Jacob are going to be His spiritual leaders in the world…Nothing is said here about one twin going to Heaven and the other twin going to Hell.”

On the Scripture, “The vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.” “Well, how did they get ripe for destruction? In his word study, Vincent reminds us that this is the middle voice, which means simply that they fitted themselves for destruction. It is not the potter than fits them for destruction. It is the potter who is long-suffering. It is the vessels of wrath who fit themselves for destruction. God never made anybody to go to Hell. God wants people saved. He wants you saved. First Timothy 2:4 speaks of ‘God who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth.’”

“The following Scriptures show God’s universal love for all and His promise to all who will trust in Christ.” Rogers then quotes John 3:16-17; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 8:32; 1 Timothy 2:4; 1 John 4:14; 1 John 2:2; Revelation 22:17; Romans 9:33.

After quoting 1 John 2:2 Adrian Rogers says, “In this classic passage Jesus is spoken of as the propitiation or the satisfaction, not only for the sins of those who are already saved, but for the sins of the whole world.”

“If you want to be saved, to be one of the elect, then just come to Jesus.”

“I invite you to pray like this,
‘Dear God, I know that You love me. I know that You want to save me. I am a sinner and my sin deserves judgment, but I need mercy and I want mercy. I am not going to harden my heart against You, God. I open my heart. Come into my heart and into my life right now. Forgive all my sin, save me, Lord Jesus.’
Friend, pray that from your heart, ask Jesus to save you, trust Him to do it, and He will!”

These quotes are from the sermon booklet, Predestined for Hell? Absolutely Not!, by Adrian Rogers, Love Worth Finding, P.O. Box 38800, Memphis, TN 38183-0300, (lwf.org); 1999; 2010. 901/382-7900.
Order the booklet today; it just costs $2. Order extra for those who have questions about this subject.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 29, AD 2011.

Related Articles:
Brief History of SBC Conservative Resurgence
Unlimited Atonement, Jesus Died For All
Adrian Rogers on "Wit & Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow"
Paige Patterson on Calvinism
B. H. Carroll on Hyper-Calvinism
Books on Calvinism, Predestination
Wit And Wisdom Of My Dad
Other articles found in lower right margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels).

Book Review - Coach John Wooden, by R. L. Sumner

2011-08-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to find good, extensive book reviews today. One of the few who still does it is Dr. R. L. Sumner, evangelist and editor of The Biblical Evangelist.

The website only lists some of the Reviews and features of each print issue of The Biblical Evangelist. Currently it is carrying Sumner’s review of:

COACH WOODEN by Pat Williams with Jim Denny; Revell, a Division of the Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, MI; 8 Chapters, 186 Pages; $17.99

Sumner quotes Wooden as giving the following advice for his players:

* Talent is God-given: be humble.
* Fame is man-given: be thankful.
* Conceit is self-given: be careful.

Not bad advice for preachers as well. Of course there is much more than this to the Book Review.

Other Reviews this issue:

CREATION OR EVOLUTION? By E. Norbert Smith; 15 Chapters, 309 Pages (large size, 8”x10”); CreateSpace, Scotts Valley, CA

IN THE SHADOW OF EVIL by Robin Caroll; B&H Books, Nashville, TN; 39 Chapters, 371 Pages; $14.99, Paper

EVIDENCE FOR GOD, Edited by William A. Dembski & Michael R. Licona; Baker Books, a Division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, MI; Four Sections, 50 Chapters; $19.99, Paper

Check it out at biblicalevangelist.org and Click “Book Reviews.” Then subscribe to the print copy, and send a generous donation.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 24, AD 2011.

Deuteronomy 14:26 - Does it Commend Alcohol?

2011-08-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household. -Deuteronomy 14:26 (KJV).

You may spend the money on anything you want: cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your family. -Deuteronomy 14:26 (HCSB)

Christians who favor drinking seem to ignore plain Scriptures that speak directly against alcohol (Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-35; 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8; etc.), while glorying in Deuteronomy 14:26, an obscure verse that only mentions wine and strong drink in passing. This has become a favorite verse of those seeking to justify Christians’ drinking.

It may seem strange that God would forbid His Old Testament priests to drink while engaging in worship, yet tell the people they were welcome to drink during worship without regard to age or amount. It sounds strange because it is a contradiction, and because it never happened.

The word in Deuteronomy 14:26 translated "strong drink" or even "beer" by some translations, is the Hebrew word "shekar."

Many authorities theorize that shekar always means an alcoholic drink. But significant authorities disagree. They believe shekar, like the biblical words for wine, could refer either to an alcoholic, or a nonalcoholic drink, but made from fruit other than grapes.

A few of those authorities:
The New King James Version (NKJV) translates shekar in Deuteronomy 14:26 as “similar drink.” Elsewhere, when it is obvious shekar is referring to an alcoholic drink, it uses the term, “strong drink.”

And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. -Deuteronomy 14:26 (NKJV).

“It is tolerably clear that the general words ‘wine [yayin; oinos]’ and ‘strong drink [shekar]’ do not necessarily imply fermented liquors, the former signifying only a production of the vine, the latter the produce of other fruits than the grape.” -Dr. Lyman Abbott, A Dictionary of Religious Knowledge,

Shekar - “Sweet drink (what satiates or intoxicates).” -Dr. Robert Young, Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, Eerdmans, 1970.

“Not only the word yayin, but also shekar can refer to grape juice as well as to wine (cf. Deuteronomy 29:6; Numbers 28:7; Exodus 29:40).” -Dr. Robert P. Teachout in his doctoral dissertation on The Use of Wine in the Old Testament, 1979, Dallas Theological Seminary.

It is also interesting that we get our English words sugar, saccharine, cider from the Hebrew word shekar. These words allude to a root meaning of sweet, rather than alcoholic. Also, cider can mean alcoholic, or nonalcoholic apple juice, just like the original word shekar.

Next time a drinker waves Deuteronomy 14:26 in your face, let everyone know that many authorities say shekar, the word for strong drink, can also refer to a nonalcoholic beverage.

Finally, in that day they could more easily make and preserve nonalcoholic wine and shekar, than the alcoholic kind. Nonalcoholic drinks were common in their day, just as they are in ours.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 22, AD 2011.

Note: Much more information on Shekar and Deuteronomy 14:26 is in the book Ancient Wine and the Bible by David R. Brumbelow.

Related articles:
Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times
2006 SBC Resolution on Alcohol Use in America
Other related articles can be found in lower right margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels).

Of Jesse Mercer, L. R. Scarborough, Georgia and Texas

2011-08-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

“Dr. Jesse Mercer, of Georgia, in 1838 gave $2,500 to the Home Mission Society of Northern Baptists to send two Baptist preachers to evangelize Texas.” -L. R. Scarborough, With Christ After the Lost, Southwestern Library of Centennial Classics, revised by E. D. Head; 1942, 2008.

These were “foreign” missionaries. In 1838 Texas had won its independence only two years earlier and was its own country, the Republic of Texas. It would join the United States of America in 1845.

In 2010, 172 years later, there are (Southern Baptists of Texas Convention statistics):

* 2332 Baptist churches in the SBTC.
* An average of 237,313 in worship each Sunday.
* 16,988 Baptisms each year.
* $37,700,000 given to the Cooperative Program, International Mission Board, North American Mission Board and other missions through the SBTC.
* Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, one of the largest seminaries in the world, is in Fort Worth, Texas.

And this does not even come close to counting all the other Baptists and Baptist institutions in the state of Texas.

Thank you Jesse Mercer, and Georgia Baptists. Thank you Northern Baptists. Thank you for giving to the Lord, and giving to Texas.

Note: L. R. Scarborough, then president of SWBTS, went on to give Texas Baptist statistics for about 1940. I updated them with recent SBTC statistics. Thanks to Lane Rice for help with the SBTC statistics.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 18, AD 2011.

Paige Patterson on Calvinism

2011-08-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

Several years ago Dr. Paige Patterson spoke on Calvinism at the SBC Pastor’s Conference. An excerpt from Baptist Press follows:

PATTERSON: PEOPLE ARE ‘TOTALLY FREE’

Patterson began his segment by saying, to laughter, “The real question we are here to discuss today is whether or not you are here on your own free will."

He listed six areas in which he and Calvinists agree –- areas for which he said he has great appreciation. Calvinists, Patterson said: “usually lead very pious lives”; believe theology is important; generally are “very clear about the dangers involved in the charismatic movement; “understand the purpose of everything is to glorify God”; “never question the inerrancy of Scripture or the substitutionary atonement of Christ”; and “are crystal clear about the fact that salvation is by grace alone.”

But Patterson also said there are several areas of concern he has with “some Calvinists”:

-- the notion that if “you are not a Calvinist then you must be an Arminian.” He said he is neither.

-- the argument that “if you are not a Calvinist then you do not accept the doctrines of grace.” Patterson said, “I believe that salvation is by grace alone, and I'm not a Calvinist.”

-- the assertion that those who are not Calvinists don’t believe in the sovereignty of God. “I just happen to believe that God is sovereign enough that He can make a man totally free if He wishes to do so,” Patterson said.

-- “antinomian tendencies” present “in some Calvinists,” particularly on the subject of drinking alcohol. Antinomianism tends to overemphasize grace in relation to law.

-- a failure of Reformed pastors to be “completely forthright” with pulpit committees during interviews. “This is a concern not only about Calvinists,” Patterson said. “It is a concern about people who happen to be dispensationalists, like me. It's a concern about any position which you hold." There should be “full disclosure of what you believe and what you plan to do once you become the pastor of that church."

-- the “compassionlessness” for a lost world seen in “some Calvinists.” Patterson said what he “appreciate[s] so much about Dr. Mohler and many of my other Calvinist friends is that that emphatically is not true of them."

Patterson said he views the doctrine of election through the "foreknowledge of God." He also said he sees no biblical evidence for “irresistible grace” –- one of the tenets of Calvinism.

“If, in fact, men cannot resist the will of the Holy Spirit … then in fact salvation is coercive and a person does not have a choice about what he is going to do,” he said. "… I believe it is God's will that every human being be saved. I don't believe all of them will be saved -- narrow is the way, and straight is the gate.”

Patterson read two quotes he attributed to Presbyterian pastor R.C. Sproul: "God desired man to fall into sin. God created sin"; and "It is [God's] desire to make His wrath known. He needed, then, something on which to be wrathful. He needed to have sinful creatures."

“It is impossible to find justice in that by any biblical definition of justice," Patterson said. “… This makes God, in some sense, the author of sin.”

He listed several scriptural passages -- 1 Timothy 2:3-6, 2 Peter 3:9, Hebrews 2:9, 1 John 2:2 -- that he said support general atonement instead of the Calvinist tenant of limited (or particular) atonement. *

"To me, the references to the universality of the atonement are absolutely overwhelming in the New Testament," Patterson said. “… The Calvinist must fall back on the idea of two wills of God –- a revealed will and a secret will. The problem with the secret will, of course, is that it is secret and we cannot know about [it] at all. Not only that, [but] it pits the secret will in juxtaposition and over against His revealed will.”

Patterson challenged those in attendance, "My fervent prayer is that whatever your beliefs are about the sovereignty of God … you will join me in taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.”
-from Baptist Press, June 13, 2006 by Michael Foust.

Dr. Paige Patterson is a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (Th.M. and Ph.D.), he is the author of a number of books, and was twice elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He was one of the key leaders in the Conservative Resurgence that brought Southern Baptists back to their historic commitment to the inerrancy of the Bible. Patterson serves as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas (swbts.edu).

* The Calvinist doctrine of Limited Atonement says Jesus died only for the elect. Non-Calvinists (or at least non-5-point Calvinists) believe in General or Unlimited Atonement. Unlimited Atonement means Jesus died for the sins of all humanity; of course, only those who believe are saved.

See Related Articles by clicking any of the "Labels" in this post, or by going to the lower right margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels).

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 8, AD 2011.

How to Get a Life When Ministry Drains it Out of You

2011-08-02T06:24:00.000-07:00

HIGHLANDS, Texas (BP)--Years ago my dad and I, both pastors, attended an associational meeting. The speaker lamented a survey revealing that something like 75 percent of all pastors had considered leaving the ministry. Dad -- Joe Brumbelow, who in his lifetime was pastor of several churches in South Texas -- commented, “The results worry me, too. I’m concerned that 25 percent of the preachers lied.”

Most every pastor has considered quitting. Stress, burdens and heartache are common among professional clergy. As a young preacher I learned much from my dad about how to "get a life" while in the ministry:

-- Laughter is a good medicine (Proverbs 15:13; 17:22). It can cure what ails you or at least make life a little more bearable. Laughter takes the edge off difficulties. Laugh often. Joke, when appropriate, with your church members and your family. If you are a believer, you have ample good reasons to smile. Humor also enhances and illustrates your Bible teaching. Through humor a pastor can reveal the joy of the Lord.

-- Find humor in practically every situation. Joe Brumbelow certainly did. Even a serious circumstance sometimes brought a smile or humorous comment. "Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying," he surmised. "Brother Joe", as most everyone called him, enjoyed biblical humor such as Job's telling his questionable friends, "No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you" (Job 12:2, KJV). Funny situations abound; recognize and enjoy them.

-- Be serious about your ministry but not too serious about yourself. You may be an outstanding minister, but God can get along fine without you. The world does not hang on your shoulders. Dad ended a lot of stress when he prayed one day, "Lord, this is Your church, not mine. I’ve done all I know to do. If You want it to die, then let it die." He recognized that God ultimately was in control. That day he took his burdens to the Lord and left them there.

When you make a mess of things, don’t try to hide it; just admit it and have a good laugh at yourself. As my old college friends once said, "Lighten up."

-- Use humor that is appropriate. Humor can cut as well as heal. Be careful of misunderstandings. Sometimes humor is better understood in person than in writing (or in e-mail.) Don’t use off-color humor at all. Limit some humor only to family or your closest friends. Keep some thoughts to yourself!

-- Everyone needs a diversion. Vance Havner quoted Jesus' telling His disciples, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). Havner said, "If you don’t come apart and rest, you will just come apart."

With Dad, relaxation meant fishing. He’d go wade-fishing and forget the world's cares. He complained that live shrimp (which he used for speckled-trout fishing) were way too expensive. He then concluded with a smile, "But it’s cheaper than paying $60 an hour for a psychologist." Fishing was his "stress therapy." Gardening also relaxed him. He could bring something good out of the worst of soils. A diversion is not a waste of time; it’s something you need. Being spiritual when you are physically tired is difficult. Get enough rest. Joe Brumbelow joked, "Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap."

-- Fellowship with fellow ministers. The old spiritual says, "Nobody knows the trouble I’ve known, nobody knows but Jesus." But those in ministry often know, understand and care. Don’t just seek out persons of the same age. Make friends with ministers that are older and younger than you. Late in his ministry, Brother Joe considered being friends with the younger ministers on the staff at First Baptist Church in Lake Jackson, Texas (where he served at the time of his passing in August 2002) to be an honor. Dad instructed young preachers to attend associational, state and national conventions. Sometimes these get boring and tedious. But you need the instruction; you especially need the fellowship. Laugh, cry and pray with other preachers.

-- Lean on your family and closest friends for your deepest emotional needs. Brother Joe said, "I would rather be known as a great husband and dad than to be known as a great preacher." Make your home a fine place to retreat. My mother played a vital role in this area. A church can be a loving family. But don’t expect members to meet needs that only a close family or the closest of friends can meet.

-- Most of all, lean on Jesus. Nurture your personal relationship to the Lord. More than anyone else, Jesus understands the trouble you’ve known.
--30--

David R. Brumbelow is pastor of Northside Baptist Church in Highlands, TX and author of a book about his dad, "The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow: Favorite illustrations, personal stories, humor, history, folklore, and lessons learned from over 50 years in the ministry." The book is available in bookstores and also through the publisher at http://www.hannibalbooks.com/.

Originally published at Baptist Press October 19, 2005. The article was later published in a couple of state Baptist papers. bpnews.net
Related Post: The Girl Who Saved His Ministry

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 2, AD 2011.

Wit And Wisdom Of My Dad (Wit & Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow, the book)
Other articles in lower right hand margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels).

B. H. Carroll on Inspiration of Bible

2011-07-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

Following are quotes from B. H. Carroll on biblical inspiration from his book, Inspiration of the Bible, Southwestern Library of Centennial Classics, 1930, 2008.

“It has always been a matter of profound surprise to me that anybody should ever question the verbal inspiration of the Bible."

"The whole thing had to be written in words. Words are signs of ideas, and if the words are not inspired, then there is no way of getting at anything in connection with inspiration. If I am free to pick up the Bible and read something and say, ‘That is not inspired,’ and someone else does not agree with me as to which is and which is not inspired, it leaves the whole thing unsettled as to whether any of it is inspired."

"What is the object of inspiration? It is to put accurately, in human words, ideas from God. If the words are not inspired, how am I to know how much to reject, and how to find out whether anything is from God? When you hear the silly talk that the Bible ‘contains’ the word of God and is not the word of God, you hear a fool’s talk. I don’t care if he is a Doctor of Divinity, a President of a University covered with medals from universities of Europe and the United States, it is fool-talk. There can be no inspiration of the book without the inspiration of the words of the book.”

“The inspired word is irrefragable, infallible; that all the powers of the world cannot break one ‘thus saith the Lord.’”

“Let me say further that only the original text of the books of the Bible is inspired, not the copy or the translation.”

“The inspiration means that the record of what is said and done is correct. It does not mean that everything that God did and said is recorded. It does not mean that everything recorded is of equal importance, but every part of it is necessary to the purpose of the record, and no part is unimportant. One part is no more inspired than any other part.”

“It is perfectly foolish to talk about degrees of inspiration. What Jesus said in the flesh, as we find it in the four Gospels, is no more His word than what the inspired prophet or apostle said.”

“What Jesus said after He ascended to heaven, through Paul or any other apostle, is just as much Jesus’ word as anything He said in the flesh.”

“Here are some objections: First, ‘only the originals are inspired, and we have only copies.’ The answer to that is that God would not inspire a book and take no care of the book. His providence has preserved the Bible in a way that no other book has been preserved.”

“We do not find that verbal inspiration stereotypes the style, even in the case of a single man. It is nothing mechanical like that, nor does it in the least destroy the individuality of the inspired man. When Paul writes, he writes in Paul’s style; when Peter writes, he writes in Peter’s style.”

“The Holy Spirit inspires the penman and not the pen, and we must not be disturbed when we find Paul’s style, when he is writing spiritual things in spiritual words, or Peter’s style in his writings. We should accept that fact as we go along.” -B. H. Carroll, Inspiration of the Bible, Southwestern Library of Centennial Classics, 1930, 2008.

Benajah Harvey Carroll (1843-1914) was born in Mississippi, a veteran of the Civil War, and was pastor of First Baptist Church, Waco, Texas.

B. H. Carroll was founder and first president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. His book, Inspiration of the Bible, has been influential among Baptists. It was reprinted and promoted during the SBC Conservative Resurgence and was reprinted again in 2008 in a set of books commemorating the Centennial of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Note: Plenary Verbal Inspiration means every word of all 66 books of the Bible is inspired by God and is therefore the inerrant, living, authoritative, sufficient Word of God.
Plenary - all
Verbal - every word
Inspiration - God breathed. Divinely inspired in such a way that no other book is inspired by God.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, July 12, AD 2011.

Related Articles:
Southwestern Centennial Classics; B. H. Carroll, L. R. Scarborough, T. B. Maston...
B. H. Carroll on Hyper-Calvinism
B. H. Carroll on Pastors and Alcohol
See other articles in lower right margin.

Top Three Seminaries

2011-07-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

An extensive study of Baptist and Evangelical seminaries has been conducted over the last 54 years. This study has been conducted by none other than David R. Brumbelow of Gulf Coast Pastor. He speaks for himself and probably a half dozen other pastors out there. I would argue, however, that my results would be affirmed by a sizable number of believers, Southern Baptist and otherwise.

There are many good, solid seminaries out there. And many poor seminaries. This list is by no means exhaustive, but I would be happy to recommend to anyone the seminaries listed below.

1. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 22000, Fort Worth, Texas USA 76122. 800/SWBTS-01; 817/923-1921. swbts.edu
Extension campuses in Houston, TX; San Antonio, TX; Shawnee, Oklahoma; etc.

I’m a graduate of SWBTS, but please don’t hold that against them. Southwestern is one of the largest and most influential seminaries in the world. It’s graduates serve, and have served throughout America and the world. Founded by the famous B. H. Carroll in 1908, it was the first seminary to include a Chair of Evangelism, also called the Chair of Fire. This Evangelism Chair was begun by pastor and evangelist L. R. Scarborough, who became the second president of SWBTS.

Today it is led by president Paige Patterson, a scholar, writer, and evangelist. Dr. Patterson is one of the well-known leaders of the Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention, the movement that brought the SBC back to its commitment to the inerrancy of the Bible.

Each year SWBTS students go throughout the United States conducting Revivals and winning folks to the Lord. Recently they have led over 200 to the Lord in the area right around the Fort Worth campus. SWBTS is accredited, conservative, scholarly, and evangelistic. Whether you want to study evangelism, music, missions, Bible, theology, religious education, biblical languages, archaeology, history, pastoral ministry, this is a great place to enroll.

2. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 3939 Gentilly Blvd., New Orleans, Louisiana 70126. 800/662-8701; 504/282-4455. nobts.edu

Even back in the moderate days of the SBC (pre 1979), NOBTS, along with SWBTS and GGBTS, was known as one of the more conservative SBC seminaries. It’s graduates have included Jerry Vines, Adrian Rogers, and Paige Patterson. It is led by Dr. Chuck Kelley, who has served as a vocational evangelist. Kelley is a graduate of Baylor and NOBTS. Prior to being elected as president, Dr. Kelley served NOBTS for 13 years as evangelism professor.

NOBTS was founded in 1917 by the Southern Baptist Convention. It has extensions in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida. They subscribe to the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. Most all of what was said about SWBTS can also be said about NOBTS. It’s a great seminary.

3. Mid America Baptist Theological Seminary, 2095 Appling Road, Cordova, Tennessee 38016, United States. 901/751-8453; 800/968-4508. mabts.edu

Founded in 1971, MABTS states, “We believe that the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God, wholly without error as originally given by God, and is sufficient as our only infallible rule of faith and practice. We deny that other books are inspired by God in the same way as the Bible.”

MABTS also says,
“Every faculty member accepts the plenary verbal inspiration of the Bible.
Every faculty member is a faithful witness for Jesus Christ.
Every faculty member is an active member of a cooperating Southern Baptist church.
Every faculty member in the theological and educational field holds an earned doctorate.
Every faculty member is available for counseling with students.”

Dr. Michael R. Spradlin serves as president and teaches in Evangelism. The seminary’s founder and first president was Dr. Gray Allison. Mid America now meets on 35 acres of land given to them by Bellevue Baptist Church. Adrian Rogers was a strong supporter of MABTS. It is an “independent” Southern Baptist seminary and supportive of the SBC. It does not receive Cooperative Program funds, but supports the CP. Mid America was a conservative influential school during the SBC Conservative Resurgence. They have an extension in Schenectady, New York.

All three of these schools are accredited, conservative, scholarly, evangelistic, and believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. They uphold the fundamental, basic doctrines of our Christian faith. So if you've been called to the ministry and are looking for a seminary, these are three that I would strongly recommend.

Note: These three seminaries are listed / linked in the margin to the right under Sites I Mainly Agree With.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, July 5, AD 2011.

Edith Beaugh

2011-07-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

For anyone needing information about my aunt, Mrs. Edith Beaugh (Edith Counts Beaugh; Edith Galyean Beagh) of Lake Jackson, TX, contact:
David R. Brumbelow, P.O. Box 300, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566.

(Edith Beaugh is deceased, the Post Office would not forward her address)

Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists: Calvinism, Revivals, Evangelism, Tracts

2011-06-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

PHOENIX (BP)--The need for renewed evangelism, concerns about Calvinism and comments regarding North American Mission Board budget cuts were voiced during the annual evangelists-sponsored worship service prior to the SBC annual meeting.

The Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists' gathering June 12, with the theme "Ageless Urgency," featured three preachers: Eric Fuller, Harold Hunter and Brian Fossett.

"If there was ever a time that evangelism needed to be at the forefront, now is that time," COSBE president's, Braxton Hunter, told the assembly. "There is little concern for evangelism in our convention."…

Calvinism is "a big problem today in our country, and among Christians," [Eric] Fuller said.

"If you are a Calvinist in this place this morning, stop trying to convert Christians to Calvinism and begin sharing the Gospel with lost people so that the Lord can convert them to Christianity," Fuller said. "If you are a non-Calvinist this morning, stop talking about sharing the Gospel and get out there and actually do it.

Brian Fossett, a former COSBE president and member of Liberty Baptist Church in Dalton, Ga., preached from Ephesians 4:11, encouraging attendees to get back to "the three T's" of evangelism -- "tracts, training and testimonies" -- that he said would "revolutionize our churches."

Harold Hunter, president of Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary in Newburgh, Ind., and the father of Braxton Hunter, said in his message he is "burdened about the direction of our Southern Baptist Convention," noting that Southern Baptists baptized 17,416 fewer people in 2010 than in 2009, representing the lowest number of annual baptisms in 60 years.

"Evidently this new wave of trying to be relevant to the people in the bars on Friday night is not really working," Harold Hunter said. "Either what you do at your church and what this convention does is supernatural or it's superficial."…

"I hear those of Reformed theology say, 'Well, the founders of our great convention -- all of them were basically Calvinists,'" Hunter said, adding that for every Calvinistic founder of the SBC he could name three who were not.

"Let me tell you something: It was not the giants, be they Calvinists or not, who made the Southern Baptist Convention great," Hunter said. "It was the great host of people whose names are never mentioned: the evangelists, the missionaries, the small church pastors, the laymen, and the women, bless God."

Noting he wanted to "clearly preach about the ethics of those who aspire to leadership in our convention," Hunter said: "There is scarcely a week goes by that in my office I hear of some church fallen into disrepair because some man who was a Calvinist -- limited atonement -- and didn't tell the pulpit committee or the deacons until he became pastor, and then it split the church. I believe you ought to be honest. If that's what you are, then tell them that's what you are."
-bpnews.net, June 21, 2011, by Norm Miller and Art Toalston.

Read the entire Baptist Press article: COSBE Lifts Evangelism, Laments Funding Cuts

Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists (COSBE)
http://www.sbcevangelist.org/

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 27, AD 2011.

Other articles of interest:
Patriotism and Christian Worship
Unlimited Atonement, Jesus Died for All
Acts 29, Alcohol, and the Southern Baptist Convention
See more under Gulf Coat Pastor Articles (Labels) in lower right margin.

B. H. Carroll on Pastors and Alcohol

2011-06-21T06:51:00.000-07:00

A question has recently been asked about B. H. Carroll and what he believed about drinking. B. H. Carroll (AD 1843-1914) was the famous founder and first president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas (swbts.edu). He has been very influential in Southern Baptist history. George W. Truett, L. R. Scarborough and many other leaders looked to Carroll with great admiration.

The brief quote below pretty well sums up Carroll‘s view on drinking.

“No man should be made the pastor of a church who drinks intoxicating liquors as a beverage.” -B. H. Carroll, Interpretation of the English Bible.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 21, AD 2011.

Note: Just before the quote above, Carroll said he was not going to raise the issue of “total abstinence.” Some have been confused then by his following statement. The answer is simple. While most today would use “total abstinence” to refer to not using alcohol as a beverage, Carroll was using the term to refer to no use of alcohol period, even as a medicine. Alcohol was viewed back then as an important medicine; it is not viewed that way today. For those wanting more evidence, they should also be aware that Carroll was a strong advocate for Prohibition. But he, like most abstainers today, would recognize a possible legitimate use of alcohol for medicinal reasons.

Related Articles:
Ancient Wine and the Bible - the book (includes more quotes by B. H. Carroll)
2006 SBC Resolution on Alcohol Use in America
Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times
Acts 29, Alcohol, and the Southern Baptist Convention
B. H. Carroll on Hyper-Calvinism
Other related articles in Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels) in lower right hand column.

Southwestern Centennial Classics; B. H. Carroll, L. R. Scarborough, T. B. Maston...

2011-06-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

The Centennial Classics are a set of books reprinted in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas (SWBTS; swbts.edu). All of these books were written by presidents and professors of SWBTS.

The Southwestern Library of Centennial Classics are:

Inspiration of the Bible by B.H. Carroll
With Christ after the Lost by L.R. Scarborough
Recruits for World Conquests by L.R. Scarborough
Lee Rutland Scarborough : a life of service by H.E. Dana
The Blossoming Desert : a Concise History of Texas Baptists by Robert Baker
The Bible and Race by T.B. Maston
Jesus the Teacher by J.M. Price
The Work of the Holy Spirit by W.T. Conner
A Manual of Church History (2 Volumes) by A.H. Newman

B. H. Carroll's book was influential in the SBC Conservative Resurgence. Scarborough's book, With Christ After the Lost, was for many years an evangelism textbook, and influenced many Baptists for evangelism.

Purchase them for yourself and your church library. They also make a great gift for your pastor or for a young preacher. Give him the entire set, or just give him one book a year for Christmas; there, you have your gifts taken care of for the next decade :-).

Original cost was $100. Now they can be purchased for $60 plus $6.50 postage.

This entire set of Centennial Classics can be ordered from SWBTS, P. O. Box 22500, Fort Worth, Texas 76122.

For more information call 817/923-1921, extension 4848.

That’s ten hardcover books for just $6 each. I have the set of books and highly recommend them.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 20, AD 2011.

Acts 29, Alcohol, and the Southern Baptist Convention

2011-06-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

Acts 29 keeps coming up in discussions of the SBC, alcohol, and Calvinism. As a general rule, it seems that those who favor social drinking and ending Southern Baptist’s long standing opposition to beverage alcohol are those who are connected with Calvinism, the Acts 29 organization, or both.

Let me also add that many Calvinists believe the Bible teaches abstinence from alcohol. I assume there are also those in Acts 29 who believe the same. I pray many more will come to this conviction. (For example, Charles H. Spurgeon was a Calvinist who was very opposed to alcohol. See Gulf Coast Pastor article on Charles H. Spurgeon on Alcohol).

In case you missed it, four years ago Baptist Press had a fascinating article about this issue. A controversy developed among Missouri Baptists over The Journey Church that was apparently promoting beverage alcohol consumption and had a part of the church meeting at a brewery.

Many a church has started in a bar, but with the alcohol bar closed during the service. This brewery, however, was serving beer to participants during the Bible Study. The Journey was a part of the SBC, Acts 29, and Missouri Baptists. A few quotes from the BP article are in bold print below.

"Last December, The Journey’s website included an invitation to 'grab a brew, share your view' when attending the Theology at the Bottleworks meeting. A picture of people raising glasses of beer in an apparent toast appeared adjacent to an essay by [Pastor Darrin] Patrick on the church’s website. Patrick attributed the content to a secular website design company hired by the church. He told Baptist Press he had the alcohol-related verbiage and picture removed as soon as they came to his attention because 'it does not reflect the values of our church.'

Still, the church’s unconventional means of reaching the lost might be shaping its internal culture as much as the church is shaping others. The bio of The Journey’s mission pastor, Jonathan MacIntosh, mentions that he enjoys drinks with his wife 'at the almost secret bar beneath Brennan's in the Central West End.'

Patrick, who is vice president of Acts 29, an association of emergent churches, conceded that as a group, Acts 29 holds a 'much more liberal view' of alcohol use than The Journey.

Some website material seems to support his conclusion.

The pastor of an Acts 29 church in San Diego (non-SBC), for example, claims on the Internet: 'Beer is one of our core values. We enjoy it and like to drink it.' Although the statement appears meant for humor, it seems to show a casualness of attitude about alcohol consumption.

Another Acts 29 church (also non-SBC) -- the Seattle-area Damascus Road Church -- sponsors a men’s poker night for which gamblers are encouraged to bring beer. The website also states: 'There is just something about having food on your plate and a drink in your hand that makes fellowship that much easier. Whether the food is healthy or fattening, or the drink is coffee or beer, we desire to follow Christ's example.'

The alcohol issue goes straight to the top at Acts 29, whose president, Mark Driscoll -- who is pastor of the Seattle-area Mars Hill Church -- wrote in his book, 'Radical Reformission,' that abstinence from alcohol is a sin. In a chapter titled 'The Sin of Light Beer,' Driscoll explains that he came to this conclusion while preparing a sermon on the Lord’s miracle at Cana where Jesus turned water into wine. *

According to information published on the church’s website, Mars Hill sponsored a New Year’s Eve party that included a champagne bar. Mars Hill’s website also advertises 'beer-brewing lessons ... whenever a large group of (Mars Hill) men get together.'

Driscoll is controversial also for once having the reputation of the 'cussing pastor.' However, as he recounted on his blog, he finally listened to a friend who helped him realize he was becoming known for 'good theology, a bad temper, and a foul mouth,' and he repented, starting with a public apology." -bpnews.net

Read the entire Baptist Press article at the following link:

Alcohol, Acts 29 and the SBC

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 7, AD 2011.

Related Articles:
2006 SBC Resolution on Alcohol Use in America
See Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels) in lower right hand margin, on such topics as Alcohol; Alcohol Today; etc.

* For a clear answer on Jesus turning water to wine see the book, Alcohol Today by Peter Lumpkins, Hannibal Books. Available at your local bookstore or amazon.com.
Also see Ancient Wine and the Bible - the book by David R. Brumbelow.

Missionary Kids - Free Tuition at Criswell College

2011-06-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

Criswell College was founded by W. A. Criswell and First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Dr. Paige Patterson, now at SWBTS, was president at Criswell. For several years now Jerry A. Johnson has done a great job as president. Criswell College was crucial on the conservative side in the SBC Conservative Resurgence. It is one of the few colleges that publicly takes a stand in favor of the inerrancy of the Bible.

Criswell College has announced full-tuition scholarships for the kids of Southern Baptist missionaries serving with the International Mission Board. See the details below.

Criswell College announces full-tuition scholarships for children of IMB missionaries

Check out Criswell College, Dallas, Texas at criswell.edu

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 2, AD 2011.

Sources of Gospel Tracts; Tract Racks

2011-06-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Tracts (or pamphlets, brief, printed Christian fliers or messages), have been used for many years to point people to Jesus Christ. They are an important means of presenting the Gospel. This post tells you a few places to purchase tracts and tract racks.

Sources of Tracts

American Tract Society
P. O. Box 462008
Garland, Texas 75046-2008
atstracts.org
800/548-7228
ATS has excellent tracts including salvation, patriotic, sports, Spanish, etc.

North American Mission Board (NAMB)
4200 North Point Parkway
Alpharetta, Georgia 30022-4176
770/410-6000; 800/634-2462
namb.net

LifeWay
LifeWay.com (do a search for “tracts,” or “Choice Creation”)
Also check at LifeWay Stores.

State Baptist Conventions
Southern Baptists of Texas Convention
sbtexas.com

Southern Baptist Convention
sbc.net

Check also with your local Baptist Association

Tract League
2627 Elmridge Drive
Grand Rapids, MI 49534-1329
616/453-7695
tractleague.com

Good News Tracts
goodnewstracts.org

Individual Tracts and Pamphlets
Church Covenant

Church Covenant Hymnal Insert

Baptist Faith & Message 2000

Welcome to God’s Family (for new believers)

NAMB has a good tract (Hope in Crises) used by Disaster Relief. I could not find it, however, on their website; give them a call.

Other Possibilities
Write your own tracts and get them published. Check them for grammar and spelling. Always include a full address so they can contact you or order more.

A church can print a small half page flyer telling the Christmas Story or Easter Story and distribute them during those holidays. Include your church's full name and address.

Tract Rack
Years ago our church ordered a tract rack from ATS. It can be hung from a wall or set on a table. It has 20 pockets for tracts. We've used this type tract rack in collegiate ministry as well.

Tract wall hangers usually have one or two pockets and can easily be placed on a wall.

Use tracts to advertise your church. Get a rubber stamp or mailing labels. Place the name and full address of your church on the back of each tract.

Hope these sources are helpful. Purchase some tracts yourself, or check with your church about purchasing them and having a tract ministry. Share the Good News with a world in need of hope.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 1, AD 2011.

See related articles under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels) in lower right hand margin.
L. R. Scarborough on Tracts
Church Buildings - Dos and Don'ts #1
2006 SBC Resolution on Alcohol Use in America
The Roman Road of Salvation
Church Buildings - Dos and Don'ts #1
Church Covenant

L. R. Scarborough on Tracts

2011-05-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

“One of the effective uses of the press is found in the publication and circulation of tracts.

They are valuable for soul-winning, soul-building, indoctrination, and for teaching the truths of God’s Word.

Brief, pointed, and well-printed tracts will often attract attention and carry the Christian message home to the heart in a way nothing else will.

Churches with their Sunday school and Training Union forces could be made centers for the distribution of tracts.

Pastors, missionaries, and evangelists should keep a supply of well-selected tracts on hand at all time.

They can be mailed out, handed out in making visits, given to passers-by on the streets, and distributed at church doors as congregations gather and disperse.

The tract given should be chosen to suit the need of the one receiving it and should be handed out with a prayer for God’s blessing on the message.

It is often good to follow up the tract with a conference, another tract, or a personal letter.”

-L. R. Scarborough, With Christ After the Lost, revised by E. D. Head, Southwestern Library of Centennial Classics; 1942, 2008.

L. R. Scarborough (AD 1870-1945) was a pastor, evangelist, author, founded and taught the first seminary “Chair of Evangelism,” and was the second president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, Texas (swbts.edu). Scarborough also served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 30, AD 2011.

Related articles under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels) in lower right hand margin.
Sources of Gospel Tracts

"A Really Tough Weekend," -Harold Camping

2011-05-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

"It has been a really tough weekend."
"I'm looking for answers."
-Harold Camping, 89 year old radio preacher who predicted the Rapture (or Return of Christ) would occur, along with massive earthquakes, on May 21, 2011. His words above were spoken on May 22, 2011. (Quotes from sfgate.com) This is not the first time Camping has tried his hand at predicting the time of the Second Coming. He previously predicted it would likely occur in 1994.

Camping said he is looking for answers. The answers are found in Matthew 24 and 25.

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. -Matthew 24:36

Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. -Matthew 24:42

Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. -Matthew 24:44

The master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of. -Matthew 24:50

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. -Matthew 25:13

Camping has also said all churches are corrupt. Except his, of course. Anytime you hear someone saying they are the only one and you are only to listen to them, be suspicious. Be very suspicious. That is one of the signs of a cult.

Jesus is coming again (Matthew 24:27; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15: 51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). The Rapture could occur today, tomorrow, next week, or 100 years from today. It is imminent, meaning it can occur at any time. Only God knows when it will happen. Therefore, we are to plan and prepare as though He may not come for a hundred years, but we are to live as though He will return tomorrow.

Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. -Titus 2:13

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 23, AD 2011.

Related articles found under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels) in lower right hand margin.
Also see Baptist Press article: Harold Camping's Mulligan

B. H. Carroll on Hyper-Calvinism

2011-05-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

In 1900 B. H. Carroll preached a sermon on Baptists 100 Years Ago. It was a historical message telling of Baptist leaders and work in the era around 1800. Carroll (AD 1843-1914), was founder and first president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Following are a couple of his comments about some Calvinists of those days who went to the extreme.

“It was a time of strong doctrine, and many Baptists were hyper-Calvinists in their view. But Leland himself tells us how, one day while preaching, ‘his soul got into the gospel trade-winds,’ which so filled his spiritual sails that he forgot about election and reprobation and so preached Christ to sinners that many accepted him as their Saviour and Lord. And oh, I would to God that the preachers of this generation, like old John Leland of long ago, would now get into the gospel trade-winds and bear away with flaming canvas the everlasting gospel to earth's remotest bounds!”
-B. H. Carroll, Baptists 100 Years Ago.

“And here is another lad who will stir up things mightily later on. He will come from the frontiers of Georgia, without education, small in person, slovenly in dress, unprepossessing in appearance, with shriveled features and small piercing eyes. So J. M. Peck describes him.

He is an Antinomian of Antinomians, assuming to speak from immediate inspiration. He will uproot the tender missionary gardens like a wild boar. He will oppose missions, education, Bible and temperance societies, prayer meetings, Sunday-schools and all other evangelizing agencies with indescribable fury.

He will take advantage of the prejudices of ignorance and the prevalent hyper- Calvinism and push his war into all the Southwest until in many associations of Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia and Tennessee the late-blossoming gardens of missionary work shall be as if a cold, chilling frost of death had been breathed upon them. Who is this man? His name is Daniel Parker.

In 1826-7 he will publish his notorious ‘two seed’ pamphlets, that will become his winding sheet and cause his memory to rot.”
-B. H. Carroll, Baptists 100 Years Ago.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 16, AD 2011.

See related articles under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels) in lower right hand margin.

R. L. Sumner Review of "Alcohol Today" found here

2011-05-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Dr. R. L. Sumner's review of the book, "Alcohol Today: Abstinence in an Age of Indulgence" can be found at the link below:

Book Review of "Alcohol Today" by R. L. Sumner

-David R. Brumbelow, May 10, AD 2011

Osama Bin Laden and Rejoicing in Victory Over Evil

2011-05-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. -Romans 13:3-4

Sometimes there is a difference in how we respond as a government and as patriotic citizens, and how we are to respond as individual Christians to personal situations. For example, turning the other cheek may not be the wisest thing for a government at war to do.

Today I am proud to be an American. I am grateful to President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush. I’m grateful to our military and the other nations who have joined forces with us to fight terrorism.

I am glad that a terrorist leader and mass murderer has been stopped. Dr. Richard Land of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission said it well: “"If anyone ever deserved the forfeiture of his life for crimes against humanity, it was Osama bin Laden.”
“Once again, our magnificent military performed with tremendous bravery and skill. We should all thank God for them and that they are standing on the ramparts protecting our liberty.” (Quoted in Baptist Press.)

Some are saying a Christian should never rejoice over the death of an evil man, or any man. I am well aware of instruction about loving our enemies and not rejoicing when our enemy falls (Ezekiel 33:11; Proverbs 24:17; etc.). We are always to be humble before Almighty God.

These Scriptures, however, should be tempered with such Scripture as listed below. I’m not dancing on anyone’s grave, but rejoicing that justice has been done. And I am rejoicing that God has blessed and protected America.

He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name. -Psalm 18:48-49

But You have saved us from our enemies, and have put to shame those who hated us. In God we boast all day long, and praise Your name forever. Selah. -Psalm 44:7-8

It is a joy for the just to do justice, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity. -Proverbs 24:17

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan. -Proverbs 29:2

When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation. -Proverbs 11:10

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 4, AD 2011.

Others May, You Cannot

2011-05-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

Years ago I came across a tract that really spoke to my heart. Spoke to me in ways I can’t fully explain. It convicted me as a young teenager, and continues to do so today. We usually think of Gospel tracts being for unbelievers and presenting the plan of salvation. But, Others May, You Cannot, is a brief message to the believer in Jesus Christ. It will resonate with some, not so much with others.

The Tract League has published this tract for over 40 years. The author is unknown. It is printed below with permission.

Others May, You Cannot

If God has called you to be really like Jesus He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. God’s call will put such demands of obedience on you that you will not be able to follow other people, or measure yourself by other Christians. At times, He will let other people do things which He will not let you do.

Other Christians who seem very religious will push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans. You cannot, and if you attempt it, you will meet with failure and rebuke from the Lord.

Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their successes, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you to despise yourself and all your good works.

Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may have a legacy left to them, but it is likely God will keep you poor. God wants you to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence upon Him, that He may demonstrate His faithful love for you in supplying your needs day by day.

God may let others be honored and put forward, and keep you hidden in obscurity in order to produce some fragrant fruit for His coming glory which can only be produced in the shade. He may let others be great, but keep you small. He may let others do a work for Him and get the credit for it now. The reward for your work is held in the hands of Jesus and you will not see it until He comes.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you with a jealous love. He will rebuke you for the little words and feelings or for wasting your time. So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a right to do as He pleases with His own. He does not owe you an explanation of these mysteries. But if you give yourself to be His child, He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and give you the precious blessings for those who belong, heart and soul, to Him.

Settle it forever, then, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit. It is His option to tie your tongue, or chain your hand, or close your eyes in ways that He does not seem to use with others. And when you are so possessed by the living God that your heart delights over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of Heaven.

***

What is your only comfort in life and death?
That I am not my own, but belong, body and soul, in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and He has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven. In fact, all things must work together for my salvation.
Because I belong to Him, Christ, by His Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him.
–Heidelberg Catechism

***

Scripture used in margins of the tract:
I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. -Philippians 3:8

You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. -Psalm 16:11

But whoever loses his life for me will save it. -Luke 9:24

-from Tract League (formerly Faith, Prayer and Tract League), 2627 Elmridge Drive, Grand Rapids, MI 49534-1329; 616/453-7695; tractleague.com
No. 76 - Christian Living; Pricing: $1.00/doz $6.00/100; Bible version used: NIV
Others May, You Cannot

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 2, AD 2011

Why Use Tracts?

2011-04-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

(Flyers, pamphlets that present a Christian message.)

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth: It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. -Isaiah 55:11

1. They can plainly present Scripture, the Gospel, the love of Jesus Christ.
2. Can be left anywhere and shared with anyone.
3. There are tracts for all different kinds of needs.
4. Can be used to help you as you verbally present the plan of salvation.
5. After you have witnessed to someone, a tract can be left with the person to back up what you have just presented.
6. Can be taken home, reread, or passed along to others.
7. When they are labeled (rubber stamp or address label with church name and address) they can help advertise your church.
8. Tracts are inexpensive and can be easily used.
9. A tract has the potential to go on witnessing to someone long after you are gone.
10. Even if the person cannot read or does not know the language, he can get someone else to read or translate it to him.

* Will everyone be won to Christ with a tract? No, of course not. But some will! Or, it may be one of a number of things that brings the person to Christ. This is not the only effective means of witnessing, but it is one of them.
* You can keep tracts handy and in good shape by storing them in a zip lock plastic bag in your car, purse, etc.
* A friendly, personal word to the person to whom you give the tract, usually makes them more likely to read it.
* Always be on your best behavior when using tracts; otherwise you hinder rather than help the cause of Christ.
* Always pray for those receiving the tracts.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 25, AD 2011.

Patriotism and Christian Worship

2011-04-18T06:22:00.000-07:00

Can we be patriotic in our July 4th Worship Service? Can we sing patriotic songs and have the American, Texas, and Christian flags in our sanctuary? Yes, of course we can.

It seems rather strange that practices I grew up with, seen in church all my life, seen the great majority of churches use, are now vehemently challenged. Some seem to feel they are the first generation in 2,000 years to finally get Christianity right. They have no appreciation or respect for those generations of believers on whose shoulders they stand.

I heard of a young new pastor in a large church in another state who banned the flag in church and refused to do anything patriotic or recognize veterans. The church was seriously hurt and the pastor, perhaps wiser, soon moved on. A new pastor should consider the wisdom of going to a 50 or 100 year old church and self-righteously telling them they have it all wrong and he is going to straighten them out. It just could be that newly hatched pastor needs to learn a few things.

Some have fretted over a patriotic service causing confusion over our allegiance to Christ and to our country. Frankly, I’ve never had someone come to me with such confusion. Usually this issue is pretty clear. Jesus said, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).

Some have worried a patriotic service leads to idolatry. Far from idolatry, come July 4th we commonly thank God (that’s a mighty Christian thing to do) for the good things about our country, and speak out against the moral failings of our country. We do not blindly follow our country, right or wrong. We are grateful however, for God’s blessings on America, including the incredible gift of religious liberty.

It seems that like the Public Invitation and using the Sinner’s Prayer, most criticism of having a patriotic worship service is more a criticism of the abuse, rather than the proper use of them. Of course we should not abuse them. But properly used, they are greatly used of God.

Some criticize a patriotic worship service because it is not explicitly found in Scripture. So are a long list of other practices the critics use on a regular basis. No, God Bless America is not found in the Psalms; but the concept is there, and there is nothing anti-biblical about using a patriotic service to tell folks about Jesus.

What about international students being in a patriotic worship service? Well, they can learn that Americans love God and love their country. They can see believers praying for their country. They can see believers striving to better their country. International students may just be inspired to go home to their own country and do likewise.

I spoke to a Baptist Student Ministry college group about the American history of Thanksgiving. An international student later thanked me and told how she enjoyed the message. She said she had always wondered about Thanksgiving since her country did not have such a holiday. It is not difficult to use an American cultural theme to teach Christian concepts.

Some have expressed concern that a patriotic service may turn into a partisan political rally. Certainly that could happen, but it can also be easily avoided. We’ve never done that in a church I’ve pastored. There is nothing partisan and out of line in singing some patriotic songs and expressing your love and godly concern for country.

Are there some tensions and conflicts between God and country? Yes. That is why Christians discuss the issue of a just war. That is why just because a man dies fighting valiantly for his country - that does not earn him a ticket to Heaven; only faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ does that. But a patriotic worship service can give us the perfect venue to preach that very truth!

Recently I preached on being ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). An ambassador learns the customs of his adopted country, while integrating and teaching them the customs of his home country. A Christian ambassador learns the customs of the country in which he resides, while teaching them the customs and beliefs of his home country of Heaven. Our church had an Easter Egg Hunt. We took a custom of our country of America (Easter Egg Hunt) and used it to teach the values and beliefs of Heaven, the Sacrificial Death and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

July 4th (Independence Day) our church will celebrate the good things of America, pray about the bad things concerning America, all the while pointing folks to Jesus. We will hold our 2008 LifeWay Baptist Hymnals, turn to a patriotic song or two, and sing with gusto. Despite what some critics are saying, you can too!

Note: the Baptist Hymnal (or Broadman Hymnal) has included patriotic songs since at least the 1940 Broadman Hymnal. Other Christian hymnals have done the same. Baptists, without apology, have expressed their patriotism going back to at least the Revolutionary War of the 1700s; they have also criticized their country when they believed it wrong.
The 2008 Baptist Hymnal includes the song, O Canada. I have no problem with believers in other countries being patriotic. If I were worshipping in Canada, I would gladly sing O Canada right along with them.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 18, AD 2011.

Related Articles:
Saved by the Sinner’s Prayer
SBC Resolution on Alcohol Use in America

Obituary - Pastor David Elliot (AD 1931-2011)

2011-04-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. -1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

Reverend Berl David Elliot passed away Tuesday, March 15, 2011. Born September 3, 1931, he was known as “Sonny” to family, “David” to friends, and “Preacher” to generations of people in communities across East and South Texas. He devoted his life to supporting his family, church members, and community.

Funeral services were held at First Baptist Church, Highlands, Texas March 18, 2011 at 10 am. Deacons in the church served as pallbearers. Burial was at Sterling-White Cemetery, Highlands, TX.

Brother Elliot grew up on farms and ranches and did ranch work as a young man. He owned and rode horses most of his life. He loved his family, watched sports, enjoyed telling stories and country music. His favorite was Johnny Cash.

Rev. Elliot was a graduate of the University of Corpus Christi, TX and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX. He pastored churches in South and East Texas, including Second Baptist Church, Highlands. He was a leader in the San Jacinto Baptist Association.

He is survived by his wife Betty Ruth Elliot; brothers Bob and Bill; children David Elliot, Warren Elliot, Jeanene Ickes, and son-in-law Jerry Ickes; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

David Elliot’s obituary was in the March 17, 2011 Baytown Sun.

Brother David had a clear mind right to the end. On the last day of his life, his wife Betty related how David Elliot said, “I get to talk to God today.”

Update: David Elliot's obituary was also listed in the May 2, 2011 issue of the Southern Baptist Texan.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 11, AD 2011.

2006 SBC Resolution on Alcohol Use in America

2011-04-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

Some have alleged Southern Baptists have not spoken to the alcohol issue because it is not mentioned in the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. While alcohol is not mentioned in our doctrinal statement, it has often been dealt with by the Southern Baptist Convention.

Southern Baptists have spoken with a clear voice against alcohol for well over 100 years. The most recent resolution was overwhelmingly passed in 2006. It is listed below. Many other SBC resolutions on alcohol can be found at sbc.net (under Faith & Facts). As a matter of fact, 59 resolutions against alcohol have been passed by the SBC since 1886.

On Alcohol Use In America
June 2006

WHEREAS, Years of research confirm biblical warnings that alcohol use leads to physical, mental, and emotional damage (e.g., Proverbs 23:29-35); and

WHEREAS, Alcohol use has led to countless injuries and deaths on our nation's highways; and

WHEREAS, The breakup of families and homes can be directly and indirectly attributed to alcohol use by one or more members of a family; and

WHEREAS, The use of alcohol as a recreational beverage has been shown to lead individuals down a path of addiction to alcohol and toward the use of other kinds of drugs, both legal and illegal; and

WHEREAS, There are some religious leaders who are now advocating the consumption of alcoholic beverages based on a misinterpretation of the doctrine of "our freedom in Christ"; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina, June 13-14, 2006, express our total opposition to the manufacturing, advertising, distributing, and consuming of alcoholic beverages; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge that no one be elected to serve as a trustee or member of any entity or committee of the Southern Baptist Convention that is a user of alcoholic beverages.

RESOLVED, That we urge Southern Baptists to take an active role in supporting legislation that is intended to curb alcohol use in our communities and nation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge Southern Baptists to be actively involved in educating students and adults concerning the destructive nature of alcoholic beverages; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we commend organizations and ministries that treat alcohol-related problems from a biblical perspective and promote abstinence and encourage local churches to begin and/or support such biblically-based ministries.
-SBC, Greensboro, NC

Related articles:
Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times
Charles H. Spurgeon on Alcohol
Alcohol Condemned in the Bible
Biblical Principles Condemn Alcohol
Evidence for the Two-Wine Theory
See other related articles in right hand margin toward the bottom under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels).
New book: Ancient Wine and the Bible: The Case for Abstinence by David R. Brumbelow.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 4, AD 2011.

Young Preachers - Finding a Place to Preach; Part 2 of 2

2011-03-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

Now you are actively involved in your church. You’re sincerely living the Christian life. You’re getting acquainted with Southern Baptists and great preaching.

But how do I get opportunities to preach?

1. Ask your pastor if he has any opportunities where you could have a chance to preach. Let him know you would like to begin preaching. Tell him you would love to bring a short devotional to the youth, or other church classes. If there are time limits, honor them. As one of my professors said, “Men, there is no such thing as a bad short sermon.” Better to leave them wanting more, than leave them wanting less.

2. See if there are opportunities to preach or bring a devotion in a Nursing or Rehab Home. Mrs. Osea Voelkle led church services in an Assisted Living Home when I was a teenager. This was before I had my driver's license. She asked, and was delighted that I was willing to go with them and preach a sermon. I learned much through those experiences. Do the same at Youth Camps, etc.

3. After your pastor has had a chance to hear you preach a time or two, ask him if he would be willing to contact neighboring pastors and let them know you are available to Supply Preach. Supply preaching is filling in for a pastor when he is sick or on vacation. Many pastors would love to have someone like you to call on at the last minute. If your pastor is willing to write a letter recommending you, offer to do the work of addressing letters and paying the postage to mail them. Send a copy to your local, and neighboring Baptist Association offices as well.

If you have preached in other churches, you might want to include the names and numbers of other pastors who would also recommend you. Ask your pastor for his advise along these lines.

4. If possible attend your local Baptist Association meeting (usually monthly or quarterly) with your pastor. Hopefully your pastor or Director of Missions would be willing to introduce you and let the others know of your availability to preach. Have a card or flyer to give to interested pastors. Attend these meetings every chance you have.

5. Attend all types of Baptist meetings. State conventions, evangelism conferences, the annual Southern Baptist Convention. Get to know the preachers. Make yourself available. Prayer should be a large part of all this. But remember that pastors call on people they know. Make sure they know you.

6. Ask if someone will recommend you to fill the pulpit for an area pastorless church. You may not be ready to pastor, but often they are looking for someone to just supply preach a Sunday or two until they get an interim or permanent pastor.

7. Never turn down an opportunity to preach, without good reason. If you have a good reason, explain it to them and let them know you would love to preach for them in the future. I once asked a preacher to supply for me. He declined and never gave any reason for doing so. I assumed he was not interested and never called on him again.

8. No church should be too big or too small. Count it an honor to go to any church to preach the Word of God. Never cancel out one preaching appointment to go to a bigger church to preach. Once you make a commitment to preach, keep it.

If you are asked to preach at a small church, count it a great honor and treat it like you’ve been asked to preach at Bellevue Baptist Church, Tennessee. I have always admired preachers that were just as honored and gracious to preach in a small church as a large church.

9. You may be able to send a short note to your state Baptist paper:
Benajah H. Carroll has been called to preach. He is a member of Sandy Creek Baptist Church, Big Spring and his available to supply preach. Benajah can be reached at 281/BR-549.

Check such news notes in your state paper and see how you might use them. For example, an interim may send in a note saying he has just completed and interim at a certain church, and is now available for supply preaching and interims. Always include complete contact information.

I you are scheduled to preach a revival, always send it in early enough so your paper can publish it. This gives publicity to the church and revival, and to you as a preacher.

10. Don’t worry about getting paid; that will work out later. Some places will not pay you at all, some will pay you very little, some very well, some not at all. Some will mail you a check. Right now just jump at every opportunity to preach and count it a bonus if they give you a check.
(By the way, if you are a pastor, see that the supply preacher is paid as well as your church is able to pay him; and see that he gets the check before the leaves your church.)

As more pastors get to know you, assuming you can preach, they will recommend you to others.

When you preach, realize you are there to help, not hurt the church. Be respectful of them. Preach the Word of God with conviction and power, but don’t be obnoxious. Don’t be arrogant and condescending to the people. Be gracious and friendly. If it were not for them, you would not have a place to preach in the first place. Preach in such a way they will want to hear you again.

Note: If you are a newly called preacher of the Gospel, write me a note and send me your mailing address. Write me at P.O. Box 300, Lake Jackson, TX 77566.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 30, AD 2011.

Young Preachers - Finding a Place to Preach; Part 1

2011-03-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

When I attended college, I was surprised to meet young preachers who had never preached. They had felt God’s call to preach. They had surrendered their lives to the ministry. They were being educated to follow that call. Yet they had never had the opportunity to preach. Others I met had only had the chance to preach once or twice.

Part of the blame goes to their home pastors. Pastor, if you have a young man who surrenders his life to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ - give him the opportunity to preach. Let him bring a devotional in a Sunday School Class or department. Have him preach on Wednesday night or Sunday night. Help him in preparing a sermon or two. It is inexcusable for a pastor to have young preachers in his church and never give them the opportunity to preach.

Now to the young man who has surrendered to preach. What do you do now? Let me mention some basics, then I’ll specifically mention how to get opportunities to preach.

First, be the best member your pastor has. Be in church every week Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. How can you claim to want to be a preacher and not even attend the regular services of your own church? Are you only going to regularly attend church when they pay you to do so?

A young man showed up at my church one Sunday night and sat on the front row. That will impress any pastor. Later he told me he was a preacher and wanted me to be his mentor. That’ll also impress a pastor. He let me know he was ready to preach for me anytime. But he attended sporadically and never showed up on Sunday mornings. I found out the reason; he just couldn’t wake up early enough to make it to Sunday morning Worship, much less Sunday School. I spoke to him of the importance of a preacher being faithful to all church services. He never attended on Sunday morning, I never asked him to preach, and he soon disappeared.

Second, study God’s Word and study good preachers. Learn how to put a sermon together. I’ll get in trouble for this, but steal a good sermon from a good preacher (but don’t try to publish that sermon in your name!). Herschel Ford used to say in his sermon books that his sermons were now yours and to feel free to preach them. Soon you will be putting together your own sermons. But feel free to start out heavily using the sermons of others.

R. G. Lee (pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis and SBC president) told of a country preacher he met. The preacher thanked Lee for his ministry and said, “I take your sermons and improve on them.” Take some good sermons and “improve” on them.

Good examples to follow: Adrian Rogers, Jerry Vines, Paige Patterson, David Jeremiah… The list goes on, but get their books and DVDs of their sermons. Don’t mimic them; preach in your own style. But learn from them.

Also, find an older pastor that you respect, and get to know him well. Ask questions. Go to him often for advice.

Prepare two or three good sermons and be ready to preach at any time. Keep your notes in your Bible. You never know when you may get an unexpected opportunity to preach.

When I was a teenager, my family drove across Houston to hear Evangelist Dan Vestal in Revival. We arrived a little late, walked in during the song service, and sat toward the back. Vestal was sitting on the platform. He saw us and walked back. I thought it was a little unusual, but figured he wanted to greet dad; they were great friends. He leaned over them and spoke to me. “David, I have a sore throat and I need you to preach for me tonight.” I was terrified. I had a grand total of about three or four sermons under my belt. I had no sermon notes with me. He refused to take no for an answer. I had a couple more songs to prepare my sermon. I got up and preached. God blessed, I think in spite of me, and several folks were saved. Always be ready!

Subscribe to a good paper or two that deals with Baptist life, theology and preaching. Subscribe to your state Southern Baptist paper. Mine is the Southern Baptist Texan and I highly recommend it. It will keep you up on Baptists, ministry, preachers and preaching. You may benefit from subscribing to your own state paper, and another good state Baptist paper. Subscribe to the Biblical Evangelist. It is filled with sermons, Bible studies, and illustrations. Both of these papers are listed in the right hand margin of Gulf Coast Pastor. Click the link, then click Subscribe at their site, and send them your mailing address. Also see links at GCP for Adrian Rogers, Jerry Vines, David Jeremiah and others.

Go to neighboring churches (when your church is not having their regular services) and hear other preachers. Attend conventions and revivals. You will both learn from them and get to know other preachers.

Next: Young Preachers - Finding a Place to Preach; Part 2
You may also be interested in Commentaries and Bible Study.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 21, AD 2011.

How to Give to Japan Disaster Relief

2011-03-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

In light of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, many wonder about the best way to give to help with disaster relief. For those who would like to give through a Christian organization, there is no better way than to give through the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.

Southern Baptists have had missionaries in Japan all along. They are already there helping with disaster relief. They are there to give in the name of Jesus Christ and to lovingly share the Gospel.

You can give through your Southern Baptist church. Even if you are not a member, you can find an SBC church and ask them if you can give a gift through them for SBC Disaster Relief. I’ve let our church know they can write a check to our church and designate it for SBC Disaster Relief. We will send 100% of the offering through our state convention (SBTC) who will forward it (100%) to the International Mission Board.

An individual or church can also send their gift directly to the Office of Finance, International Mission Board, 3806 Monument Ave., Richmond, Va. 23230. Designate it for Disaster Relief or Japan Response Fund.

‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ -Jesus Christ; Matthew 25:39-40

For more information: texanonline.net; bpnews.net; imb.org. Or just click the links (Southern Baptist Texan; Baptist Press) in the right hand margin of Gulf Coast Pastor.

PS - Remember this Sunday, March 20, 2011 is Substance Abuse Prevention Sunday in the SBC.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 14, AD 2011.

Adrian Rogers on "Wit & Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow"

2011-03-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

Adrian Rogers was one of the most loved and respected pastors of the Southern Baptist Convention. His preaching blessed the lives of many thousands. Not only those he pastored at Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tennessee, but also the TV and radio audience of Love Worth Finding (see right margin) and Southern Baptists who heard him preach at conventions. Many, including my dad, called him the greatest living preacher.

Part of my advice to young preachers would be to study, emulate, and learn from the preaching, practice, and theology of Adrian Rogers. It’s not bad advice for older preachers as well. Get Adrian’s sermons and books. He is a great model for preaching and pastoral ministry.

Rogers was a leader in the Conservative Resurgence of the Southern Baptist Convention. The year it all began, 1979, was the year Southern Baptists elected Rogers president of the SBC. This began the process of bringing our convention back to its historic belief in the inerrancy of the Bible. Adrian was elected three times as SBC president.

The times I was around Adrian Rogers I was impressed with him acting like a regular preacher, not someone special. He had a very personal, gracious way about him.

When I wrote The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow about my preacher dad, I decided to write Adrian Rogers to see if he would consider writing an endorsement for the book. I was advised not to do to, since Adrian was such a highly visible leader; he would have no time to bother with such a request. Regardless, I sent him a letter and a rough copy of the book. He had known dad and my family through the days of the Conservative Resurgence. Adrian soon sent a very gracious reply and endorsement for the book. It was used on the back cover.

When the book was published, I sent a couple of copies to Adrian Rogers and thanked him again for his help. Later I would find these were his last days on this earth. He was battling cancer and no doubt did not feel like responding to my letter.

I had not asked for a reply, just wanted him to have the final copy of the book and to thank him again. Nevertheless I received an even more gracious letter concerning the book. The letter said:

Dear David,

Thank you, my friend, for the finished product - The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow.

I spent much time this morning reading, smiling, amening, and just nodding my head. It is a beautiful book, easy to read, and full of genuine spiritual wisdom.

God is love. Jesus is wonderful.

In His Dear Name.
Adrian Rogers
Memphis, TN.
June 21, 2005

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 1, AD 2011.

Note - The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow can be ordered at:

Your local bookstore, or
Hannibal Books, 800/747-0738
Amazon.com
Signed copy directly from the author:
David R. Brumbelow, P.O. Box 300, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566 USA. $12.95 postpaid.

Cotton Picking; When He Comes

2011-02-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

Cotton farming is still big in parts of the South. My dad did a little cotton picking for extra money when he was a kid. Cotton farming was, and still is, important around his hometown of Damon, Texas.
Damon is about 30 miles off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The 1932 Hurricane blew the Brumbelow house off the blocks and gently set it down a few yards away. A kerosene lantern never overturned, nor was it extinguished. My dad, Joe Brumbelow, at two years old, was asleep, and never awakened when the house blew off the foundation. (Some of this covered in The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow.)

After that experience, grandpa, E. P. Brumbelow, never stayed for another hurricane. When one was coming, grandpa would pack up his family and head inland for 50 miles or so. They would sleep with others in the halls of the courthouse in Bellville or Brenham or that general area. One year when they evacuated, a rich man, at least to them, invited them to stay at his house. Though he missed the excitement of the courthouse, Joe marveled at the mansion. Grandpa lectured his kids on being well behaved and not touching anything, in such a wealthy man’s home.

Dad told of some friends of his in Damon that were about his age. The Sims had ten boys, and their dad owned a cotton trailer. When a hurricane was bearing down on Damon, their dad would hitch up a cotton trailer, throw cotton in it, and head further inland. The partially filled cotton trailer gave them a perfectly comfortable place to sleep. Joe told of how he envied their setup.

Some have spoken disparagingly of those who worked the cotton fields. Those picking cotton, however, always had my deepest respect. You had to be tough to farm, hoe, and pick cotton. Before mechanical cotton harvesting, an older generation used to jokingly refer to someone as an old cotton picker; usually done in a friendly manner. Call someone a cotton picker, and to me that is a compliment.

I’m just old enough to remember cotton picking. On a trip from the North Side of Houston down to Damon, we would pass through Sugar Land. This would have been the early 1960s. I looked out the car window onto a vast cotton field. Mostly, maybe all, black folks were scattered out along the rows picking cotton, with their long cotton sacks trailing behind. I couldn’t see the end of the rows; they seemed to go on forever. It looked to me an endless job. Ever since I’ve been glad I came along a little too late to have to pick cotton.

But to that older generation, cotton picking brings back bitter-sweet memories. Maybe you have to have been involved in cotton farming to fully appreciate the following poem. But I’m not the only one who likes it; W. A. Criswell did too. He grew up in the cotton country of the Texas Panhandle. The poem reminds me of an humble believer, maybe a slave, in a field of cotton, raising his eyes to the heavens, and thinking of the return of Jesus Christ, his King.

When He Comes

There’s a King and Captain high,
Who’ll be coming by and by;
And He’ll find me hoein’ cotton when He comes.
You will hear His legions charging
In the thunders of the sky,
And He’ll find me hoein’ cotton when He comes.

When He comes, when He comes,
All the dead will rise in answer to His drums.
While the fires of His encampment
Stir the firmament on high
And the heavens are rolled asunder when he comes.

He was hated and rejected,
He was scourged and crucified,
But He’ll find me hoein’ cotton when He comes.

When He comes, when He comes,
He’ll be ringed with saints and angels when He comes.
They’ll be shoutin’ out hosannas
To the Man that men denied,
And I’ll kneel among my cotton when He comes.
-unknown. Quoted by W. A. Criswell in Look Up Brother, Broadman; 1970.

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! -Revelation 22:20

Note: Wording varies. Some refer to this as an old Black Spiritual Song. The words above are from Criswell’s book. If Dr. Criswell said it, it must be right :-).

-David R. Brumbelow, gulfcoastpastor.blogspot.com, February10, AD 2011.

Common Wine in the Bible #2

2011-02-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

Recently a brother asked the question whether a strong case can be made that the most common wine in Bible days was nonalcoholic.

Some of my thoughts:
All agree they had alcoholic wine in the Bible; this is unmistakably the case where folks got drunk, like Noah and Lot. They also plainly had nonalcoholic wine in the Bible, and it was called wine. A few clear examples are Proverbs 3:10; Isaiah 16:10; 65:8; Joel 2:24. These passages are clearly nonalcoholic wine because just pressed grapes do not produce fermented, but unfermented wine or grape juice. Notice how many English translations translate this nonalcoholic grape juice as “wine.”

There are many passages in the Bible, however, that mention wine with no clear immediate evidence to demonstrate it as alcoholic or nonalcoholic. Most modern day readers immediately assume these passages must be speaking of alcoholic wine, as we know alcoholic wine today. Can we not just as easily assume, or even more easily assume, these references are speaking to common, nonalcoholic wine of their day?

A modern day myth is that they could not keep or preserve unfermented wine or grape juice until pasteurization and Welches. That myth is partially answered in the GCP artilce, Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times. Not only could they prepare and preserve unfermented wine, it was easier to do than preserving fermented wine. On top of all this, unfermented wine was simpler to keep, easier to transport, was nutritious, sweet, and had no harmful side effects.

Scripture often refers to new wine and sweet wine. The most obvious and natural meaning of these terms would refer to unfermented wine. New wine and sweet wine always, or almost always, referred to nonalcoholic wine. Scripture also often refers to wine right along with grain, oil, milk, bread. In other words, wine was considered a food like these other substances, not a hard drug.

A few Scriptural considerations:
Grain shall make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women. -Zechariah 9:17
Imagine a preacher today telling young women if they want to thrive, drink alcohol. That is ludicrus. Alcoholic wine does not make young women thrive, it does just the opposite. Nonalcoholic wine, however, will make young women thrive.

The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who are faint in the wilderness to drink. -2 Samuel 16:2
Sweet nonalcoholic wine is much better for the faint than intoxicating wine.
“Nevertheless, to speak generally and broadly, sweet flavours and those of that order are more nutritive than the rest and more natural.” -Theophrastus, De Causis Plantarum; c. 280 BC.

And you drank wine, the blood of the grapes. -Deuteronomy 32:14
Press a grape and it bleeds unfermented, not fermented wine.

“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.” -Proverbs 9:4-5
The worst thing you could do to the simple is tell them to drink intoxicating wine. Wisdom, however, personified as a woman, bids the simple to drink the common, sweet, un-intoxicating wine so common in that day.

Because the children and the infants faint in the streets of the city. They say to their mothers, “Where is grain and wine?” -Lamentations 2:11-12
The ancients knew intoxicating wine was inappropriate for children. This Scripture would be comparable today to infants crying out for a juice box.

Genesis 40:11 tells of a common method of preparing wine on the spot; and fresh grapes were kept throughout the year.

In ancient times sweet wine was unfermented wine; fermentation took the sweetness away. Aristotle, Hippocrates, Athenaeus and others testified that sweet wine did not intoxicate. (I know we have sweet intoxicating wine today. We are not speaking of modern day wine, but ancient wine. There is a big difference.) Scripture often speaks of sweet, new wine. Nehemiah (8:10) even instructed his people to drink the sweet wine. Most translations just say, drink the sweet. The ESV says, “sweet wine.” Intoxicating sweet wine in ancient times, was the exception, not the rule.

At the wedding at Cana (John 2) great quantities of wine was consumed. After they ran out, Jesus made over 120 gallons more wine. Yet there is not a hint that there were any problems with drunkenness or unruly behavior. Added to this evidence is that the holy, sinless Jesus was unlikely to have made great quantities of a hard drug. Can you imagine Him creating a bale of marijuana today? If you argue but marijuana is illegal - can you imagine Jesus making a bale of marijuana in a country were it is legal today? I can’t.

But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom. -Matthew 26:29
The most natural meaning of “fruit of the vine” is unfermented wine, not that which has been manipulated and processed by man. Jesus is an abstainer now (even of grape juice), but in the future kingdom He will drink wine with us that is new and un-intoxicating.

I could keep going. There is much, much more evidence. But that is what my new book is for, due out later this year.

Ancient Wine and the Bible - the book

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, February 5, AD 2011.

Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times
2006 SBC Resolution on Alcohol Use in America
Deuteronomy 14:26 - Does it Commend Alcohol?
Common Wine in the Bible
Other articles in lower right hand margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels).

Standing Where the Fire Has Been - H. A. Ironside

2011-01-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

"Who loved me and gave himself for me. -Galatians 2:20

One of the first Gospel illustrations that ever made a real impression upon my young heart was a simple story which I heard a preacher tell when I was less than nine years old.

It was of pioneers who were making their way across one of the central states to a distant place that had been opened up for homesteading. They traveled in covered wagons drawn by oxen, and progress was necessarily slow.

One day they were horrified to note a long line of smoke in the west, stretching for miles across the prairie, and soon it was evident that the dried grass was burning fiercely and coming toward them rapidly. They had crossed a river the day before but it would be impossible to go back to that before the flames would be upon them.

One man only seemed to have understanding as to what should be done. He gave the command to set fire to the grass behind them. Then when a space was burned over, the whole company moved back upon it.

As the flames roared on toward them from the west, a little girl cried out in terror, “Are you sure we shall not all be burned up?” The leader replied, “My child, the flames cannot reach us here, for we are standing where the fire has been!”

What a picture of the believer, who is safe in Christ!

'On Him Almighty vengeance fell,
Which would have sunk a world to Hell.
He bore it for a chosen race,
And thus becomes our Hiding Place.'

The fires of God’s judgment burned themselves out on Him, and all who are in Christ are safe forever, for they are now standing where the fire has been."

-Harry A. Ironside, Illustrations of Bible Truth, Moody Press; 1945.
Ironside (1876-1951) was a preacher, author of a number of expository commentaries, and pastor of Moody Memorial Church, Chicago, Illinois. During the last century his commentaries have been among the most popular.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, January 15, AD 2011.

Botswana Lady Meets Jesus in Cowpen - Gordon Fort, IMB

2011-01-06T06:26:00.000-08:00

Gordon Fort tells the story of an outreach to a particular tribe in Botswana. During the outreach they were camping in the bush. He and Benjamin were walking through the bush to see the tribal chief. Benjamin was of this tribe and had met Christ as his Savior in the city. He was returning to tell his tribe about Jesus.

As they walked they saw a lady over to the left about 40 yards milking a cow in a cowpen. Gordon felt the Lord leading him to speak to her. Benjamin advised against it saying the woman would be afraid if two strange men walked over to where she was working alone. “Let’s just go see the chief.”

They went a little further and Gordon felt the same conviction to speak to her. He and Benjamin talked it over again.

A few steps further and the Lord spoke again. Gordon said they must go speak with her.

She saw them walking toward her and stood up behind the cow. Benjamin called out a greeting in her native language and that seemed to put her at ease. They got to the edge of the pen. Gordon asked Benjamin to ask her if she would mind if they told her their story. She nodded yes.

Gordon was speaking one African language and Benjamin was translating to the native language of the local tribe. Through the interpreter Gordon told her the simple Gospel message. Why Jesus came. How He died on the cross. And what it means to be a sinner - one who has disobeyed God and owned the responsibility - a powerful concept to the African people.

The lady’s heart began to open to the truth of the Gospel message. Gordon knew she was under conviction. He told Benjamin to ask her if she would like to ask Jesus into her heart today. Benjamin talked to her and she nodded yes.

Standing at the cow pen, she invited Christ to become the Lord of her life.

When she was finished, she turned from looking at Benjamin, looked at Gordon Fort and began to speak fluent English.

Gordon’s first thought was, “It’s a miracle! This is what all missionaries are looking for.”

She went on to say, “I know you don’t know who I am. I have a Master’s Degree from the University of Oklahoma. I’m the Chief Instructor at the Teacher’s Training College in the capital city. I happened to come home this weekend to help my parents with the chores.”

“I knew when you saw me in this pen, you’d think that I was just an ignorant peasant woman. I decided in my heart if what you have to say is so important that you would turn aside to share it with me, that it must be the truth.”

Gordon concluded, “That lady became a leading worker in our Baptist work in Botswana.”

You never know what God might do when you share the Gospel with one for whom Christ died.

-from story told by Gordon Fort. Gordon is Vice President of the SBC International Mission Board. He told this story in his President’s Luncheon message at the 2010 annual convention of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention in Corpus Christi. Byron McWilliams is SBTC president.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, January 6, AD 2011.

Baptists & Alcohol in North Carolina

2010-12-28T15:01:00.000-08:00

GREENSBORO, N.C. (BP)--A motion to "study a policy of the social use of alcohol" passed by an overwhelming margin on a show-of-hands vote from messengers attending the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina's Nov. 8-10 annual meeting in Greensboro.
Presented by Tim Rogers, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Indian Trails, the motion reads:

"I move the convention direct the Board of Directors to study a policy concerning the social use of alcohol as it relates to the funding of church plants, employment of personnel, and the nomination of persons serving on committees and boards of the Baptist State Convention of N.C. Inc. and report back to the 2011 annual convention."

Observers told Baptist Press that there were very few votes against the motion. Rogers said he noted only a "smattering of hands, maybe 10" from his vantage point.

"This motion was conceived in my quiet times alone with God, where I cried out to Him, asking for an avenue and the wisdom to place it before my fellow pastors and colleagues of the BSCNC," Rogers said.

With only three minutes to speak to his motion at the annual meeting, Rogers wasn't able to relate all of his talking points. He later told Baptist Press one such point is modern culture: "Today's culture reveals that many Southern Baptist pastors have no problem drinking a glass of wine with their dinner or having a cold beer after a hard day and thinking that's OK."

Rogers believes that attitude will, within a generation, introduce wine for communion services in Southern Baptist churches.

Rogers cited other motivations for his motion.

One motive was his recent reading of the book "Alcohol Today" by Peter Lumpkins, which Rogers said "presents a clear biblical position for abstinence and points out the weaknesses of many positions other than abstinence."

Another motive for his motion, Rogers said, was a question raised during a presidential forum at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary wherein seminary President Daniel L. Akin responded to several questions from students regarding alcohol consumption. Garnering particular attention and a rebuke from Akin was a question that asked whether students who signed the seminary's alcohol abstinence covenant should be allowed to drink between semesters since they believed they weren't technically students during those times.

Akin told students he was "dumbfounded" and "gravely disappointed" that some would raise such a question in search of a "loophole," and that he was "stunned" to receive such questions.

"Your problem is not your view of alcohol; your problem is your integrity," said Akin, who explained that, until a student either graduates or officially withdraws from the seminary, he/she is still considered a student.

"The bottom line is that Southeastern Seminary maintains a position of abstinence when it comes to alcohol.... That's not going to change as long as I'm president, here," said Akin, who also has publicly declared a personal policy of abstinence based on biblical wisdom and his Christian witness.

A third motivation for the motion was a statement in an article posted on the website of J.D. Greear, wherein the pastor of the 4,000-member Summit Church in Raleigh, states, in part:

"At this point, I still choose not to drink, personally, to be on the safe side ... unless I am in a situation where I feel like not drinking would hurt the cause of the Gospel. If my not drinking would be a stumbling block for an unbeliever, I drink. But, to be honest, I would still rather have a culture of non-drinking around our church than one of drinking."

Rogers takes exception to Greear's statement, saying such "an absurdity is being placed before us under the banner of freedom in Christ." He also deems Greear's comment a "false argument" that drinking could somehow advance the cause of the Gospel.

Illustrating his point, Rogers recalled a mission trip to Romania in cooperation with an evangelical group from Germany, whose team members imbibed daily and publicly at a bar in the campground where they were ministering. Rogers said he and his mission team from the U.S. found the Romanians far more receptive to the ministry of abstaining American Christians as compared to the "German Christians who had beer breath."

Saved at 29, Rogers said he "acquired a taste for alcohol" as a non-Christian. "And I was real good at it, too." During that season of his life, he had a conversation in a bar with a Baptist deacon, who told him that drinking was permissible. "I thought that was crazy," said Rogers, noting the negative impact that imbibing church-going people can have on the unchurched.

On the Biblical Recorder's website, editor Norman Jameson called Rogers' motion "simply unnecessary and extra-biblical" and said, "early Baptists in Kentucky sometimes paid their preachers in bourbon."

Noting that such payment was wrong on both sides, Rogers said, "The problem with Brother Norman's analysis has to do with an ethical ploy to win a debate. One tries to kill an absolute by using an extreme position in order to overcome the absolute."

Other talking points Rogers used in presenting his motion noted the BSCNC's opposition to Wake Forest University's efforts to serve beer for profit on campus; a Wall Street Journal article revealing that alcohol is more addictive than crack cocaine, heroin and other street drugs; and a 2006 Southern Baptist Convention resolution adopted in Greensboro stating, in part, "That we urge that no one be elected to serve as a trustee or member of any entity or committee of the Southern Baptist Convention that is a user of alcoholic beverages."

"The resolution passed by a majority vote," Rogers said, "but not until the shocking picture was etched, in the minds of Southern Baptists, of pastors standing in opposition to a resolution on alcohol."

Rogers also expressed concerns to Baptist Press regarding some pastors among the Acts 29 church planting organization who not only practice social drinking, but also use it as a tool to reach people.

"Whatever the position of a church -- that's their business," Rogers said. "But the motion I made merely directs a policy to be implemented that states to the world that the Southern Baptists who make up the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina oppose the moderate use of beverage alcohol and that we will not employ anyone who advances its use."
-Norm Miller is a writer based in Richmond, Va. (Full article posted at Baptist Press 11-22, 2010.)

Notes:
A related article by ABP can be found at: Baptists debate social drinking
Find further information on alcohol under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels) in Right Margin.
A new book by Brumbelow, Ancient Wine and the Bible: The Case For Abstinence due out in 2011.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, December 28, AD 2010.

Christmas Greetings, a poem

2010-12-19T06:38:00.000-08:00

The first holiday after the death of a loved one is always a tough time. But for believers in Jesus Christ, we know there are better days ahead. We know one day we’ll meet again. The following poem may be an encouragement to some. I came across the poem sometime ago in one of O. S. Hawkin’s books.

Christmas Greetings

I’ve had my first Christmas in Heaven:
A glorious and wonderful day!
I stood with the saints of the ages,
Who found Christ the Truth and the Way.

I sang with the Heavenly choir:
Just think! I, who longed so to sing!
And oh, what celestial music
We brought to our Saviour and King!

We sang the glad songs of redemption.
How Jesus to Bethlehem came,
And how they called His name Jesus,
That all might be saved through His Name.

We sang once again with the angels,
The song that they sang that blest morn,
When shepherds first heard that glad story
That Jesus, the Saviour, was born.

O, how I wish you had been there:
No Christmas on earth could compare
With all the rapture and glory
We witnessed in Heaven so fair.

You know how I always loved Christmas;
It seemed such a wonderful day,
With all of my loved ones around me,
The children so happy and gay.

Yes, now I can see why I loved it;
And oh, what joy it will be
When you and my loved ones are with me,
To share in the glories I see.

So Dear Ones on earth, here’s my greeting:
Look up till the day dawn appears,
And oh, what a Christmas awaits us,
Beyond all our partings and tears!
-Dr. Albert Simpson Reitz

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, December 19, AD 2010.

Duties of the Houswife in 155 BC

2010-12-14T12:35:00.000-08:00

What were the duties of a housewife in about 155 BC? Enter a foreign Roman world over a century before the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. On some issues the people were surprisingly well educated. They knew agricultural practices and food preservation techniques almost unknown today. Slavery was common and accepted. Slaves were of any race. Slaves were made up of those who had lost in wars against Rome, or had simply been born into slavery. Greek and Roman gods were worshipped.

Cato was a Roman military leader, statesman, farmer, writer. He wrote On Agriculture, a farmer’s notebook. It reveals fascinating details of farm life and agricultural practices in the second century BC. Many of these practices were common through the centuries until the mid 1900s.

Following is some of Cato’s advice about the housekeeper:

“See that the housekeeper performs all her duties. If the master has given her to you as wife, keep yourself only to her. Make her stand in awe of you. Restrain her from extravagance. She must visit the neighbouring and other women very seldom, and not have them either in the house or in her part of it. She must not go out to meals, or be a gadabout.

She must not engage in religious worship herself or get others to engage in it for her without the orders of the master or the mistress; let her remember that the master attends to the devotions for the whole household. She must be neat herself, and keep the farmstead neat and clean. She must clean and tidy the hearth every night before she goes to bed. On the Kalends, Ides, and Nones, and whenever a holy day comes, she must hang a garland over the hearth, and on those days pray to the household gods as opportunity offers.

She must keep a supply of cooked food on hand for you and the servants. She must keep many hens and have plenty of eggs. She must have a large store of dried pears, sorbs, figs, raisins, sorbs in must, preserved pears and grapes and quinces. She must also keep preserved grapes in grape-pulp and in pots buried in the ground, as well as fresh Praenestine nuts kept in the same way, and Scantian quinces in jars, and other fruits that are usually preserved, as well as wild fruits. All these she must store away diligently every year. She must also know how to make good flour and to grind spelt fine.” -Cato, c. 155 BC.

What similarities do you see with housewives today?
What similarities do you see with women’s work up until about 60 years ago?
Would your grandmother or great-grandmother relate to any of this?
What differences do you see with the work of women today?
Have you ever preserved your own food?
What do you know about producing and preserving meat, grain, vegetables, fruit?
Have you ever told your children, or written about, your early experiences and jobs?
Do we have it better than in Cato’s day?
What differences do you see with your faith in Jesus Christ today?

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, December 14, AD 2010.

Christmas Quotes

2010-12-12T15:23:00.000-08:00

“Last month was our giving thanks holiday, and Christmas is God’s way of saying, ‘You’re welcome.’” -Dennis the Menace to his friend Joey

“My nomination for history’s most profound event is the incarnation of God in Christ.” -Ralph Bailey

“Our main job is not to cry, ‘Look what the world has come to,’ but, ‘Look Who has come to the world.’” - Kermit L. Long

“God walked down the stairs of Heaven with a Baby in His arms.” -Paul Scherer

"Christ was born in the first century, yet He belongs to all centuries. He was born a Jew, yet He belongs to all races. He was born in Bethlehem, yet He belongs to all countries.” -George W. Truett

“In BC we know God is. In AD we know who God is.” -author unknown *

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law. To redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. -Galatians 4:4-5

* Note: BC means “Before Christ.” AD is an abbreviation of a Latin term meaning, “In The Year Of Our Lord.”

Merry Christmas!
-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, December 12, AD 2010.

Next Time You Attend a Baptist Convention

2010-11-29T13:56:00.000-08:00

After the convention, when you leave your motel, a lady is going to come clean your room. She works hard for little pay. She gets little appreciation and respect. She probably has a family she is struggling to support. Her work is good and honorable. She does what you very likely would be unwilling to do. She goes home worn out, yet then has to take care of her own housework and family. She has burdens you will never know.

And you have a great opportunity.

So, do this before you leave your motel room for the last time:

* Clean up after yourself. Don’t leave the room trashed. No, you don’t have to clean the room, just make it easy for her to clean.

* Leave a good Gospel tract and several dollars, a decent tip. Write on the tract or leave a note. Something like: Dear Cleaning Lady, Thank you for taking care of my room and making my stay comfortable. May God bless you. Sincerely, [sign your name and write the date].

* If you want to get fancy, go to the bank and get dollar coins, or half dollar coins. or two dollar bills to use to leave as her tip.

Those who serve in difficult manual labor jobs are often taken for granted. But you can show them appreciation and respect. You can also show them Jesus.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, November 29, AD 2010.

Thanksgiving - a poem by Margaret E. Sangster

2010-11-21T06:52:00.000-08:00

For the days when nothing happens,

For the cares that leave no trace,

For the love of little children,

For each sunny dwelling-place,

For the altars of our fathers,

And the closets where we pray,

Take, O gracious God and Father,

Praises this Thanksgiving Day.

For our harvests safe ingathered,

For our golden store of wheat,

For the bowers and the vinelands,

For the flowers up-springing sweet,

For our coasts from want protected,

For each inlet, river, bay,

By the bounty full and flowing,

Take our praise this joyful day.

For the hours when Heaven is nearest

And the earth-mood does not cling,

For the very gloom oft broken

By our looking for the King,

By our thought that He is coming,

For our courage on the way,

Take, O Friend, unseen eternal,

Praises this Thanksgiving Day.

-Margaret E. Sangster

And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it of your own free will. -Leviticus 22:29

Happy Thanksgiving!

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, November 21, AD 2010.

2010 Annual Meeting of the SBTC

2010-11-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

November 14-16, 2010 I attended the Bible Conference and annual meeting of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) in Corpus Christi, TX. Corpus Christi is a beautiful place to have a convention. The convention center, American Bank Center, is practically under the Harbor Bridge. Huge glass walls of the convention center overlook the bay. The T-Heads and sea wall provide a great place to drive or walk. Years ago my family and I caught our limits of speckled trout right on the seawall. It was a warm January and schools of speckled trout were moving back and forth along the seawall. We caught them with weighted popping corks, small treble hooks, and live shrimp.

The SBTC Bible Conference was outstanding. Officers Heath Peloquin, Nathan Lorick, and Bart Barber did an excellent job choosing the preachers and singers. Steven Smith of SWBTS, Dwight Singleton of Knoxville, TN, Russell Moore of SBTS, and Jonathan Falwell of Lynchburg, VA all did a great job preaching (I didn‘t get to hear some other speakers). Each preacher spoke to my heart.

Bart Barber led a discussion on cultural issues with Richard Land, Russell Moore, Kelly Shackleford. This meeting should have laid to rest any doubts concerning the importance of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). Richard Land made plain the importance of cultural issues facing our nation today. He pointed out the crucial difference between Freedom to Worship and Freedom of Religion. Richard Land and Barrett Duke (also at the SBTC) are providing strong conservative leadership in the ERLC.

Byron McWilliams is pastor of the historic First Baptist Church, Odessa and is president of the SBTC. He did an able, gracious job as moderator. He preached well in the President’s Message. We heard Jeff Iorg of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Richard Land, O. S. Hawkins of Guidestone, Gordon Fort of the International Mission Board. Jimmy Pritchard of First Baptist Church, Forney preached the Convention Sermon. Frank Page and Kevin Ezell spoke. NAMB missionaries were commissioned.

I did not have the opportunity of hearing all, but the speakers I heard were right on target. Last I heard, 803 voting messengers registered, and I’m sure a large number of visitors. It is amazing how much time, planning, effort go into a state convention.

493 salvation decisions were made during the SBTC pre-convention Crossover evangelistic emphasis. The SBTC operates on 45% of Cooperative Program gifts, and sends 55% on to the ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention. Jim Richards, SBTC Executive Director, has a huge job and is leading well.

I saw a number of old friends. A lady introduced herself to me and told how she and some of her relatives were influenced years ago by my dad’s preaching and ministry. Another lady spoke to me who had been a member of Doverside Baptist Church years ago when I was a teenager.

I attended the SWBTS Luncheon and the President’s Luncheon. Hey, a Baptist has got to eat!

To preachers and laymen - whenever you have the chance, attend the annual meeting of the SBTC. Why?

* You will be blessed and inspired. The singing and preaching will do you good. You will also get some good sermon outlines and illustrations.

* You’ll have great fellowship. Go to the luncheons. If you don’t know anyone, just sit down at a half filled table and introduce yourself. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the folks you meet.

* You will learn much more about the ministry and missions of Southern Baptists.

* You can probably get a good sermon book by O. S. Hawkins at the Guidestone Display. Criswell College gave out a number of DVDs of sermons by W. A. Criswell.

* If you want to preach and serve more, it helps to get to know as many ministers as possible. If you are looking for a ministry opportunity - preachers recommend preachers they know.

* As you fellowship, you’ll hear some great stories.

* You will find we are reaching people around the world with the Gospel.

Those are just a few thoughts. The SBTC annual meeting will be held in Irving in 2011 and San Antonio in 2012. Read more about the SBTC by subscribing to the Southern Baptist Texan (click link in right hand column under "Sites I Mainly Agree With").

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, November 18, AD 2010.

Limited or Universal Atonement by Dr. David L. Allen; part 2

2010-11-17T05:46:00.000-08:00

Part 2 of 2
THEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The key theological argument used to support limited atonement is the Double Payment argument, which says justice does not allow the same sin to be punished twice. This argument faces several problems:

* it is not found in Scripture
* it confuses a commercial debt and penal satisfaction for sin
* the elect are still under the wrath of God until they believe (Eph 2:3)
* it negates the principle of grace in the application of the atonement (nobody is owed the application).

Though Christ died sufficiently for the sins of all people, the promise of salvation is clearly conditional in the New Testament -- one must repent and believe in order to receive salvation. The limitation was not in the provision of Christ's death, but in the application. A man cannot be punished for rejecting what was never for him in the first place!

LOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS

One argument for limited atonement goes like this: Christ died "for His sheep," for "His Church," and for "His friends." These are limited categories of people, thus, this is proof of limited atonement.

Not so fast!

Statements such as these do not prove limited atonement, because to argue such invokes the negative inference fallacy: the proof of a proposition does not disprove its converse.

One cannot infer a negative (Christ did NOT die for group A) from a bare positive statement (Christ did die for group B), any more than one can infer that Christ only died for Paul because Gal 2:20 says that Christ died for Paul.

Consequently, the fact that many verses speak of Christ dying for his "sheep," his "church," or "his friends" does not prove that he did not die for others not subsumed in these categories. There is no statement in Scripture that says Jesus died ONLY for the sins of elect. There are numerous statements that say Christ died for "all," the "world," or for "everyone," as in Hebrews 2:9.

CONCLUSION

Acts 3:26 states: "To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities." Peter is telling his unbelieving audience that God sent Jesus to bless each and every one of them and to turn every one of them from their iniquities. This is equivalent to Peter saying: Christ died for you.

How could Jesus save every one of them (which is what blessing and turning away from iniquity involves) if he did not actually die for the sins of all of them? Certainly "each one" of the Jews Peter addressed must have included some who were non-elect! The free and well-meant offer of the gospel for all people necessarily presupposes that Christ died for the sins of all people.

Limited atonement truncates this good news of the gospel by sawing off the arms of the cross too close to the stake. At this strategic time of focus on a Great Commission Resurgence, should the Southern Baptist Convention move toward "five-point" Calvinism, such a move would be away from and not toward the gospel.

-Part 2 of 2, by Dr. David L. Allen, dean of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's school of theology; Fort Worth, TX; swbts.edu
-from Baptist Press (BP); bpnews.net (originally posted at BP, 10-1-2010)

Note: David Allen is author of the New American Commentary on Hebrews published by Broadman & Holman. Get his book and Hebrews by R. L. Sumner ($19.95 postpaid, 546 pages and filled with illustrations; Biblical Evangelism, 5717 Pine Drive, Raleigh, NC 27606-8947). They make a great combination and will give you preaching material for the foreseeable future. Remember, get your sermon from one source - that’s plagiarism. Get your sermon from two sources - that’s research!

David Allen is also contributor to Whosoever Will by Allen & Lemke, B&H, an outstanding, bestselling book on Baptists and Calvinism.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, November 17, AD 2010.

Related Articles:
Limited or Universal Atonement by Dr. David L. Allen; part 1 of 2
Unlimited Atonement, Jesus Died For All
Saved By The Sinner's Prayer
The Roman Road of Salvation

Limited or Universal Atonement by Dr. David L. Allen

2010-11-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

Part 1 of 2
FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) - The issue of the "extent of the atonement" answers the question "For whose sins did Christ die?" There are only two options: 1) for the elect alone ("limited atonement" also called "definite atonement," or "particular redemption") or 2) for all of humanity.

Importantly, arguing for unlimited atonement and against limited atonement does not require quoting a single Arminian or non-Calvinist. It is a common misconception that all Calvinists affirm limited atonement. But even John Calvin rejected limited atonement, and Richard Baxter, John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards and Andrew Fuller are just a few of history's well-known Calvinists who likewise rejected this position.

HISTORICAL CONSIDERATIONS

All of the earliest reformers, including Calvin, held to a form of universal atonement -- not universal salvation, but that Christ's shed blood paid the price for all men's sins so the possibility of atonement was unlimited. The five-point Calvinist's doctrinal position of limited atonement was not developed until the second and third generation of reformers, beginning primarily with Beza.

Controversy over introduction of this concept into Reformed beliefs grew to such an extent that ambiguous language on the subject was left in the final draft of the Canons of Dort (1618–1619) so as to allow those among the delegates who rejected limited atonement to sign the final document.

Even the Westminster Assembly (1643–1649) included delegates who rejected limited atonement, and the Puritans in the 17th and 18th centuries included distinguished leaders who preached and wrote against it. For example, John Bunyan declared: "Christ died for all.... For the offer of the gospel cannot with God's allowance, be offered any further than the death of Jesus Christ doth go; because if that be taken away, there is indeed no gospel, nor grace to be extended."

BIBLICAL CONSIDERATIONS

There are three key sets of texts in the New Testament that affirm unlimited atonement:

* the "all" texts,
* the "world" texts, and
* the "many" texts.

There also are three sets of texts that state Jesus died for His:

* "church"
* "sheep," and
* "friends."

How are we to reconcile the universal texts with the limited ones?

The high-Calvinist wrongly interprets the universal texts in light of the limited texts. Non-Calvinists and moderate Calvinists rightly interpret the limited texts as a subset of the universal texts.

Some Calvinists argue that biblical authors believed in limited atonement because they made statements affirming Christ died for the Church, even though biblical writers do not say that Christ died only for the Church or that He did not die for the non-elect.

There is no linguistic or exegetical or theological ground for reducing the meaning of "world" to "the elect" in such passages as John 3:16. John Owen made John 3:16 read "God so loved those he chose out of the world," which changes completely the sense of the verse and turns it into something opposite of its intended meaning. But to make the meaning of "world" here "the elect" is to make not only a linguistic mistake but also a logical mistake of category confusion.

-Part 1 of 2, by Dr. David L. Allen, dean of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's school of theology; swbts.edu

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, November 9, AD 2010.

Related Articles:
Limited or Universal Atonement by Dr. David L. Allen; part 2

The Girl Who Saved His Ministry

2010-10-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

All pastors have bad days. Things can get mighty lonely and discouraging. Sometimes Mondays are the worst. One Monday morning early in Joe’s ministry he decided he could not take it any longer. He got a sheet of church stationary out of his desk drawer and wrote out his resignation as pastor. He was absolutely sincere. He was not going to put up with things as they were any longer. He folded it and put it back in the desk drawer. He would read it to the church the next Wednesday night.

Feeling pretty low, he went to his car and began driving around the community. He drove behind the church where Duff Lane ended in the back church parking lot. As he drove slowly down Duff Lane, he saw a group of girls playing in one of the yards. He heard one little girl call to him, “Brother Joe, please stop.” After he stopped, the little girl ran to the car and said, “Hi, Brother Joe, how are you today?” He answered, “Fine” but later confessed that he lied! Then the little girl said, “I wanted my friends to meet you. I’ve been telling them how you told me about Jesus and I got saved and then how you ‘baba-tized’ me. Brother Joe, thank you for telling me about Jesus. Thank you for ‘baba-tizing’ me.” She then introduced her friends each by name. They all went back to their playing.

Joe returned to his office, took out his letter of resignation, and tore it into little bits. He later said, “No one could have gotten me to resign for anything. That little girl did not realize it, but she may have saved my ministry.” God began to work there as never before. The next year more than 100 were baptized at Doverside Baptist Church.

-from The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow, hannibalbooks.com, p. 108.
Available at Hannibal Books, amazon, or order from your local Christian Bookstore.
Or order from: David Brumbelow, P.O. Box 300, Lake Jackson, TX 77566 USA; $12.95.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, October 26, AD 2010.

Wit And Wisdom Of My Dad (Wit & Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow, the book)
Other articles in lower right hand margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels).

Calvinism and Being Dead in Sins

2010-10-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. -Ephesians 2:1

Many Calvinists emphasize the lost person is dead in their sins and can’t respond in any way. After all, a dead man, a dead body, is lifeless and can do nothing. So a lost person can’t respond to the Gospel in faith. He can’t do anything. Some even go to the point of saying a person is saved or regenerated before faith, since they think a lost person cannot have faith or accept salvation.

If this view of the spiritually dead is true we could go one step further. A dead man can’t sin. A dead man can’t walk and talk and hear. But the unsaved do these things on a regular basis. The very next verse to the one above (Ephesians 2:2) says those dead in their sins “walked.”

This view is rather extreme and has an improper view of death. Death in Scripture does not mean annihilation or ceasing to exist. Death means separation. James 2:26 tells us, “For as the body without the spirit is dead...”

Spiritual death is when a person is separated from God. Physical death is when the soul, spirit, the real you, is separated from the physical body. So at a funeral, the departed is not lying in the casket. If they knew Jesus as Lord and Savior, they are in Heaven with Him. Only their body, where they used to live, is in the casket.

Dead in your sins simply means your sins have separated you from a holy God. Isaiah put it, “your iniquities have separated you from your God” (Isaiah 59:2).

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they immediately became spiritually dead. But they could still walk, talk, hear and respond to God (Genesis 3:10).

Even though he is spiritually “dead,” the unsaved man can perceive the truth of God. In Romans, Paul declares emphatically that God’s truth is “clearly seen” by them so that they are “without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

“Dead” is only one of many figures of speech used to describe the fallen state. It is also depicted as “sickness,” which does not imply the person had no ability to hear and respond to God (Matthew 9:12). Depravity involves the corruption of life but not its destruction. The image of God in fallen humans is effaced but not erased. Even unsaved people are said to be in God’s image (Genesis 9:6). The image is marred but not eradicated by sin (cf. James 3:9).

If spiritually “dead” amounts to a kind of spiritual annihilation, rather than separation, then the “second death” (Revelation 20:10) would be eternal annihilation - a doctrine certainly not taught in Scripture. A spiritually dead person, then, is in need of spiritual life from God. But he does exist, and he can know and choose. His faculties that make up the image of God are not absent; they are simply incapable of initiating or attaining their own salvation. Like a drowning person, a fallen person can reach out and accept the lifeline even though he cannot make it to safety on his own.

Men dead in trespasses and sins can respond. That is one reason we are commanded to go into all the world and preach the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Further information on total depravity and being dead in trespasses and sins:
Trouble With the Tulip by Frank S. Page; Riverstone.
Chosen But Free by Norman Geisler; Bethany House.
Whosoever Will by David Allen & Steve Lemke; Broadman & Holman.
Salvation and Sovereignty by Kenneth Keathley; Broadman & Holman.
Calvinistic Paths Retraced by Samuel Fisk; Biblical Evangelism Press.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, October 11, AD 2010.

Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times

2010-10-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

Editorial note in Biblical Evangelist:
Last year we published a strong message from the pen of a Texas pastor, David Brumbelow, dealing with so-called social drinking, “The Bible Speaks on Alcohol.” David did his undergraduate work at East Texas Baptist University and then earned a Master of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

In this issue we are presenting a follow-up as he explodes a long-held criticism against prohibition that “the ancients had no way of preserving grape juice” (the Welches hadn’t been born yet). He gives a fine scholarly answer to this myth, showing that they did, indeed, know how. -Editor R. L. Sumner

*******

A Christian speaks against alcohol and explains how the biblical words for wine were used to refer to nonalcoholic, as well as alcoholic wine. A scholar replies, “But it was impossible to keep wine from fermenting in the ancient world. No one could do this until Louis Pasteur and Welch’s in the late 1800s.”

He adds for good measure, “The Passover wine had to be fermented because it was in the Spring, long after the Fall grape harvest.” That seems an unanswerable argument.

Those who use this argument think they are rightly interpreting Scripture. Instead, they are taking their own ignorance and projecting it onto the Bible and the ancient world. To argue that the ancients could not preserve un-intoxicating wine is wrong factually, scientifically, and historically. Actually, fermented wine was more difficult to make and preserve, than unfermented wine.

Unfermented wine could easily be preserved without electricity, refrigeration, or pasteurization. Following are several examples.

Reduce Its Consistency

One way is to boil fresh expressed wine down to about a third or fifth of its consistency. This thick, strong wine or syrup would keep without fermentation. When ready to drink, it would just be mixed with water. This was also done with cider and other fruit.

Patrick E. McGovern is a pro-drinking secular authority on ancient and modern wine. He said, “Concentrating grape juice down by heating is still used to make the popular shireh of modern Iran and was known to the ancient peoples of Mesopotamia as well as the Greeks and Romans. It enables fruit to be preserved, and, diluted with water, it produces a refreshing, nonalcoholic beverage.” (Ancient Wine: The Search For The Origins Of Viniculture by Patrick E. McGovern, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 2003).

Tischendorf wrote of a visit to Coptic monasteries in Egypt in 1845, “Instead of wine they use a thick juice of the grape, which I at first mistook for oil.”

Aristotle said the wine of Arcadia was so thick it was necessary to scrape it from the wineskins and dissolve it in water (Patton, Bible Wines).

Length of the Grape Harvest

The grape harvest lasted six months. This was done by planting different varieties of grapes, and planting them in different microclimates. Ancient writers testified of the vast number of varieties of grapes; some said they were innumerable. Grape vines and cuttings were transported throughout the Roman world.

Israel was at the crossroads of the world. Agriculture was their life. Some vines bear an early harvest, some midseason, some late. The first grapes can be picked as early as July, the latest in December. Some vines ripen all their grapes at once; others over a long period of time. Some grapes bore two crops a year. Grapes right off the vine were available for half the year.

It was a common practice to squeeze a bunch of grapes by hand directly into a cup and drink that fresh, sweet (fermentation takes away the sweetness) unfermented wine. “Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand” (Genesis 40:11). Historian Josephus refers to this. Pharaoh apparently preferred his wine fresh and unfermented.

A stone relief found in the Roman city of Pompeii pictures the god of wine (in sore need of a loincloth), squeezing grapes by hand into a cup (Patton, Bible Wines). Early church writings referred to pressing grapes into a cup for the Lord’s Supper.

Grapes Preserved Fresh

Grapes could be preserved fresh for months. Some will protest their grapes don’t keep long. Let me explain. Any old-time gardener will tell you some fruits and vegetables are “good keepers,” others are not. A good keeper, at room temperature, can remain fresh for months. This was especially well-known in ancient times when such knowledge could mean the difference between going hungry or not, or even prevent starvation.

Characteristics of good “keeping” grapes include a tough skin and adhering well to the cluster. The cluster would be cut from the vine. Any bad grapes would be clipped, not pulled, from the cluster. Pulling a grape leaves a “brush” that can start a molding, decaying process. Grape clusters were loosely packed in straw, cotton, bran, or hung from the ceiling. Periodically they would be inspected and any bad grapes clipped off.

The right varieties of grapes stored in this way would last fresh for months. Leon C. Field, Methodist scholar, said, in 1883, “Niebuhr says that, ‘the Arabs preserve grapes by hanging them up in their cellars, and eat them almost through the whole year.’ Dr. Kerr says, ‘A friend of mine now in Britain not long since unpacked grapes he had received eleven months previously from the continent, finding them fresh and good.’”

Also, “Bernier says grapes were sent from Persia to India, wrapped in cotton, two hundred years ago, and sold there throughout the year.”

An early 1800s recipe book, called “receipts” back then, gives directions that would preserve grapes fresh for 12 months. These grapes could be pressed into a cup at any time of the year (New Family Receipt Book, London; 1820).

Made from Dried Grapes

Wine was also made from dried grapes or raisins. Drying is one of the oldest methods of preserving food. Raisins were rehydrated by soaking or boiling and pressed into wine.

The Talmud (ancient Jewish writings) refers to raisin wine. Polybius (Greek historian c. 100 BC) spoke of un-intoxicating raisin wine. A medieval Arabian writer refers to raisin wine for the Lord’s Supper. Modern day Jews refer to raisin wine.

Sealing “Must”

Seal “must” in amphora (wine container). Roman writer Cato (c. 170 BC) said, “If you would keep must [new unfermented wine] for a year, pour it into an amphora and seal the cork with pitch. Immerse the amphora in cold water for thirty days. Then remove it and the must will be preserved for one year” (De Agri Cultura).

Additionally, olive oil and resin were used to make containers and contents airtight. Filtering was claimed to break the strength of wine. Chemical additives were used. Fermented wine could be boiled to remove the alcohol.

The above methods were widely practiced and provided unfermented wine throughout the year. So, don’t let anyone tell you, scholar or otherwise, that in Bible times they had no choice but to drink fermented wine.

Further study: Alcohol Today, Peter Lumpkins; The Bible and its Wines, Charles Wesley Ewing; Bible Wines, William Patton; Fights I Didn’t Start, And Some I Did, R. L. Sumner; Communion Wine, William M. Thayer; Libertinism: A Baptist and His Booze, Jerry Vines; Oinos, Leon C. Field.

Note: A new book, Ancient Wine and the Bible: The Case for Abstinence by David R. Brumbelow, contains much more information about Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times.

See additional articles on Alcohol under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels) in right margin.
SBC Resolution on Alcohol Use in America

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, October 5, AD 2010.

This article was originally published in the Biblical Evangelist, July-August, 2010.

Subscribe at: The Biblical Evangelist - 5717 Pine Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606-8947 or biblicalevangelist.org (see Link in right margin). Subscription is free, they operate on a donation basis. If you can, send a generous donation!

Burning the Koran

2010-09-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

A pastor has backed off his threat to burn of a number of Korans, the religious book of the Muslims.

Like the huge majority of Christians, I have no plans to burn the Koran (or Quran). I don’t think others should do so. To do so shows a lack of Christian kindness, and is just inciting hatred and violence. It will probably also cause some out of curiosity to purchase and read what you condemn.

News has reported at least one person murdered in a riot opposing this proposed burning of the Koran. While burning the Koran should be condemned, the violence in reaction should be condemned even more. Which is the biggest atrocity? An unfulfilled threat to burn Korans, or the mob murder of an innocent human being?

Perhaps our president, or generals, should make a speech like the following:

“The world should know that Americans are a free people. They enjoy basic human rights of free speech and religious liberty. In the midst of such freedom, some will occasionally do things others find highly offensive; things our government finds offensive.

There are thousands of churches and synagogues in America. There are also thousands of mosques in America. While most Americans are culturally Christian, all religions are free to worship according to the dictates of their conscience and to share their faith with others. Freedom not allowed in many countries.

Please realize that it is not the American government who threatens to burn what you revere. Instead it is invariably someone on the fringe that does so. Their actions usually say much more about them than anyone else.

There will always be someone who will burn a Koran, a Bible, a cross, a menorah, an American flag. So don’t worry about it, just get over it!

Feel free to be offended. Feel free to condemn those who act in such hateful ways. Do not feel free to riot, murder, and destroy. By doing so you are placing yourself on a lower level than that of the instigator.”

Note: the president and our military are welcome to use this speech. Just send your standard speech writer’s fee :-).

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, September 13, AD 2010.

Thank You President George W. Bush

2010-09-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

Below is a letter sent to President George W. Bush in January, 2009. It was also published in the area newspaper, The Facts, Clute, Lake Jackson, TX.

Dear President George W. Bush,

Thank you for your service to our country these last eight years. I especially appreciate:

1. Your strong pro-life conviction. This was reflected in your speeches, personal stand, executive orders, signing into law pro-life measures, vetoes, and appointments.

2. Your Supreme Court appointments that showed respect for the sanctity of human life and judicial restraint.

3. Your conduct of the War Against Terrorism. I believe the terrorists were amazed at how you stood strong and struck back so forcefully.

4. Keeping our country safe from terrorism since the 9-11 attack. It is remarkable that our country has not suffered another major terrorist attack since 9-11-2001. I think that is no accident.

5. Bringing dignity and integrity to the White House.

6. Your support of marriage only being between one man and one woman.

7. Your personal faith in our Lord.

May God bless you, Laura and your family in the days ahead.

Sincerely,
David R. Brumbelow,
Highlands, Texas 77562
January 27, 2009

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, September 7, AD 2010.

Obituary - Missionary Gilbert Ross

2010-09-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

Oh how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You. -Psalm 31:19

Frank Gilbert Ross, was born July 2, 1928 in Dallas, Texas. He went from this life to the next on July 23, 2010 at the age of 82.

Gilbert Ross was the son of James Hardy Ross and Minnie Lee (Jones) Ross. He married Carolyn Marie O’Brien on July 1, 1950 in Corpus Christi, TX. Gilbert and Carolyn had six children.

Gilbert was preceded in death by daughter Rebeca in 1961.

He is survived by his wife Carolyn Ross of Dublin, TX.

His daughters and sons in law:
Deborah & Brad Kuss of Garland, TX
Marie & John Drugan of Casper, Wyoming
Katharine Ross of Hermosillo, Mexico
Betsy and Jackie Robinett of DeLeon, TX.
Martha & Billy Aranda of Dublin, TX.
12 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
His aunt Virginia Kimberley of Livermore, California.

A graduate of the University of Corpus Christi and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Gilbert Ross was a missionary and plane pilot in Durango, Mexico for 46 years.

“For many years he flew a single engine airplane to minister Jesus’ love to the far flung people of the Western Sierra Madre Mountains. He would land the plane on a dirt landing strip that had mostly been cleared of stones. Then he would gather a group of people together in the patio of one of the villagers. He would lead some praise songs and then he would teach them about Jesus. He had a generator that he would take with him to power up an old film projector and he would use that to show old reel movies of Jesus’ life. This would thrill the children so much. The movies were used powerfully by God to change people’s lives. Then he would rev up the airplane and set off for the next village. His life was a testament to God’s love and faithfulness to the people on earth who don’t have much power or influence. We, his family, are eternally grateful for his love for Jesus and the heritage he has left us.” -from Funeral Bulletin

The funeral was July 26, 2010 at 10 am at Cottonwood Baptist Church, Dublin, TX; burial at Old Dublin Memorial Park. Pastor Mike Fritscher officiated.

The five girls, two granddaughters, and Carolyn Ross sang In the Sweet By and By in Spanish. Soloist Shelly Hooper sang How Great Thou Art and led the congregation in When the Roll is Called Up Yonder. The pianist was Steven Chambers. Philippians 2:1-11 was printed in the bulletin. Arrangements were by the Harrell Funeral Home.

Offerings sent to Cottonwood Baptist Church in memory of Gilbert Ross were sent to a pastor serving in the Durango area of Mexico.

Gilbert Ross’ father, Hardy Ross, was a first cousin to my dad, Joe Brumbelow. In recent years Gilbert & Carolyn would sometimes stay at Joe & Bonnie Brumbelow’s home in Lake Jackson, TX when he would have to go to the hospital in the Medical Center in Houston. They were an inspiration to me as I grew up. May God continue to bless Brother Gilbert’s family and ministry.

Gilbert Ross' obituary was printed in the September, 2010 Southern Baptist Texan.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, September 1, AD 2010.

Keith Bruce, Ben Price, and the BGCT

2010-08-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

In 1998 many Texas conservatives, frustrated at the moderate leadership of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT), formed the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC). Since then, the SBTC and the Southern Baptist Texan have grown, the BGCT has had financial difficulties. During the last 10 years or so, the BGCT has had to lay off a number of their employees. Some of the layoffs have been public, some behind the scenes.

Recently I was especially sorry to see laid off Dr. Keith Bruce, Director of Institutional Relations, BGCT. I and my family have a very high opinion of Dr. Bruce. Let me explain.

About 1986 my dad, Joe Brumbelow, and I visited the Texas Baptist Historical Collection (TBHC), then housed at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

We have a journal and some documents left to dad by his uncle Ben Price. Ben Price was a circuit riding Texas Baptist preacher in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Joe Brumbelow never knew it, but after his death his older sister Myrtle told us that Ben Price had said that Joe would be a preacher and that was why he wanted to leave this material to him. Ben Price died in 1935 when Joe was five years old. Price’s journal dates back over 100 years. Of course, Joe Brumbelow did become a preacher and pastored for years.

Ben Rogers was then director of the TBHC. We showed the documents to Ben Rogers and he seemed very interested. He even mentioned that one of the brochures from about 1920 contained a photo of a preacher that he did not have. He said he would love to have a copy.

We told Rogers we did not want to give them to the TBHC, but we would be happy to leave them there and allow him to make copies of the documents. He later sent us a letter acknowledging the loan and itemizing most of the documents.

In 2006 dad had already gone on to be with the Lord. Ben Rogers was now working at Baylor University. My mother, Mrs. Joe E. (Bonnie) Brumbelow talked with me about getting the Ben Price / Brumbelow documents back.

I contacted the new director of the TBHC and he informed me the Price/Brumbelow documents had been gifted to them and we could not have them back. Over numerous emails, he never wavered in saying they were the property of TBHC. He even said they had a document to prove it; a document he never produced.

I contacted Ben Rogers and he said while he did not remember all the details he agreed that the documents should be returned to us and sent an email to TBHC to this effect. Still the TBHC director did not budge. At one point the said that if we would sign a document declaring the Price/Brumbelow documents were their property they would then loan them to us. The director bluntly told us the documents would be displayed in the new museum they planned to open.

Finally we wrote a statement telling how the TBHC had refused to return our property and had it notarized December 6, 2007. We sent the statement to Dr. Keith Bruce, Director of Institutional Relations, BGCT. Dr. Bruce seemed ready and willing to help us. After Keith Bruce got involved, the TBHC director apologized for what he had done.

To have our property returned we were required to sign a document absolving the TBHC of responsibility. We did not want to sign anything, but a lawyer friend told us if we did not plan to sue, we should go ahead and sign it. All we wanted was the return of our property.

I sent a letter to Dr. Bruce stating, “Having received your assurance that ‘release the Texas Baptist Historical Collection from any responsibility or liability related to these items’ is, ‘simply an acknowledgment- once you have the materials- that TBHC is no longer responsible / liable for them’ I am now ready to sign the statement below upon receipt of the Price / Brumbelow Documents.”

The documents were sent to us, and several days later we sent them the signed statement.

To make a long story short, Keith Bruce was instrumental in getting our property back; property that had been improperly held from us for months.

We’ve heard and read other good things about Dr. Keith Bruce. We've enjoyed reading his writing. The BGCT will be poorer without him. I pray God’s blessing upon him and his family in the days ahead.

Note: Ben Price is mentioned in The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow, Hannibal Books, p. 154-155.
Related Articles:
Brief History of SBC Conservative Resurgence
Q & A on SBC Conservative Resurgence, part 1
Q & A on SBC Conservative Resurgence, part 2
Difference Between the 1963 and 2000 Baptist Faith and Message
Subscribe to the Southern Baptist Texan

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 16, AD 2010.

Q&A on the SBC CONSERVATIVE RESURGENCE; part 2

2010-08-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. -Psalm 119:160

6. Does inerrancy matter?

Conservatives hold that if you do not believe in inerrancy, you open yourselves up for all types of doctrinal deviation. The divinely inspired, inerrant Bible is our supreme rule of faith and practice.

Believe there are errors in the Bible, and then you have to pick out those errors. What is true and what is false? You then become the judge of the Bible, rather than the Bible judging you.

History has shown that when a church, seminary, or denomination ceases to believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, it begins a slow (or rapid) decline into theological confusion and liberalism. The first generation or two may remain fairly orthodox, future generations do not.

7. Were small church pastors involved in the CR?

Some have said they weren’t. They were.

“Small-church and bi-vocational pastors. The backbone of the conservative movement was this group who acted as faithful servants of the Lord. These pastors had nothing personally to gain but gave of all they had because of their deep convictions. I know of some who would drive to SBC meetings, eating peanut butter sandwiches the entire trip and sleeping in their cars. These could afford neither meals in restaurants nor hotel rooms. Their dedication provided the margin of victory. Their praise will not be on this earth but before the throne of grace.” -Paul Pressler, A Hill On Which To Die, B&H; p. 284.

My dad is one of many, many examples of small church pastors who were actively involved in the Conservative Resurgence:

“Joe Brumbelow was proud to have been involved in the conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). He and Bonnie attended each year’s convention, though for them to do so was a financial sacrifice…To Brother Joe this controversy was not just a fight among preachers. It was a very spiritual issue. He believed that if the SBC turned from its commitment to the truthfulness of Scripture, we also would lose the zeal to win people to the Lord. If we don’t believe in Hell, we do not have much need for a Savior.” -Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow, Hannibal Books; p. 34.

8. Some moderates have charged that in 1979 conservatives only won because of voter fraud.

The SBC Peace Committee was made up of moderates, conservatives, and those who were neutral in the CR. They investigated these allegations:
“The Committee investigated numerous charges of political malfeasance and voter irregularity. It heard a detailed report, complete with statistical analysis, on messenger participation at annual meetings, presented by the SBC Registration Secretary and Convention Manager, as well as the chairman of a special study committee appointed by the SBC Executive Committee. Although the reports included isolated instances of registration and ballot abuse, there was no evidence of widespread or organized misuse of the ballot by any political group and no evidence of massive voter irregularities related to annual meetings.”
-Report of the Southern Baptist Convention Peace Committee, June 16, 1987, St. Louis, Missouri.

9. Some moderates accuse conservatives of busing in large numbers of messengers to vote in the 1979 SBC in Houston.

First, if they are qualified messengers, why does it matter how they travel? Whether by bus, car, or plane?

Second, no evidence of this was ever produced. I’m sure some churches and groups came by bus. But most of this charge is a figment of liberal imagination. If it makes anyone feel better, I drove my car to the 1979 convention.

10. Conservatives have been accused of being uneducated and ignorant. They don’t understand the issues.

Some conservatives, just like some moderates and liberals, are uneducated or ignorant. A favorite tactic of some moderates and liberals, however, is to condemn any conservative who dares disagree with them, as ignorant and uneducated. Often included for good measure is that conservatives also lack integrity.

For starters, this is a very arrogant, condescending attitude.

Dr. Paige Patterson and Judge Paul Pressler are highly educated and Christian men of integrity. If you hear otherwise, ask for specific examples. It usually boils down to the fact that the accuser just vehemently disagrees with them and the CR.

All six SBC seminaries are now filled with highly educated men and women who hold to the inerrancy of Scripture.

Another thought - a messenger does not have to have attended college and seminary to intelligently vote. One of the strengths of the SBC is that the common people can attend the annual meeting and vote their convictions. We do not need a convention run by the elites.

I freely acknowledge there are moderates and liberals who are well-educated and people of integrity; we just disagree on some issues. Why can’t some on their side agree to the same about conservative leaders? Let’s debate the issues, not just attack the intelligence and character of the other side.

11. Where can I learn more about the Conservative Resurgence?

1. The Baptist Reformation by Jerry Sutton, B&H (Broadman & Holman)

2. The Truth in Crises by James Hefley, Hannibal Books (several volumes; hannibalbooks.com). This series has been recommended by both sides.

3. A Hill on Which to Die by Paul Pressler, B&H.

4. Baptists and the Bible by Bush & Nettles; Moody Press; B&H.

5. Anatomy of a Reformation: The Southern Baptist Convention, 1978-2004 by Paige Patterson, SWBTS (baptisttheology.org).

6. Subscribe to the Southern Baptist Texan.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 11, AD 2010.

Related Articles:
Brief History of SBC Conservative Resurgence
Q & A on SBC Conservative Resurgence, part 1
Differences Between the 1963 and 2000 Baptist Faith and Message

Q&A on the SBC CONSERVATIVE RESURGENCE; part 1

2010-07-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. -2 Timothy 3:16

From time to time on other blogs the issue of the Conservative Resurgence (CR) is debated. Occasionally those who are moderate or liberal will join the debate. I’ve made a number of comments. Sometimes I’ve given quotes related to questions and allegations.

I thought I’d give some of that information here.

Southern Baptists have historically believed in the inerrancy of the Bible. During the 1950s-1970s, though, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) was slowly drifting into theological liberalism.

In 1979 conservatives, led by Judge Paul Pressler, Dr. Paige Patterson, Adrian Rogers and many others, began to elect conservative SBC presidents. Those presidents made conservative appointments that eventually resulted in conservative trustees in charge of our SBC seminaries, boards, and agencies. The primary issue during this battle was the inerrancy of the Bible. Conservatives believe all our SBC employees, seminary professors, and missionaries should believe in inerrancy.

This CR was successful and culminated in the adoption of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, the doctrinal statement of the SBC. Now all our missionaries and seminary professors are expected to be in agreement with this statement. A few questions, comments, and replies:

1. Is inerrancy in the Baptist Faith & Message 2000?
The word inerrancy is not there, but the concept is. It states, “all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.” That is a definition of inerrancy.

2. What is liberalism?
Conservative leaders gave an example of theological liberalism as someone who believes there are, or could be, errors in the Bible.

3. Were there really liberals in the SBC?
Yes. Two of many examples:

Dr. Jack Flanders of Baylor University coauthored the book, People of the Covenant. The book said:

“Daniel presents many historical problems. In fact, the number of historical inaccuracies has led Walter Harrelson to suspect the author to have misrepresented deliberately the historical events and notices in order to provide his readers with a subtle indication that he was actually writing in a much later period with quite a different historical enemy of God’s people in mind. Whether or not the errors are intentional, they illustrate that the author writes later than the events and redacts materials in light of his own purpose to inspire men of faith to endure temptation and hardship.”
(Quoted from A Hill On Which To Die by Paul Pressler. Emphasis mine.)
In short, Flanders believed the biblical book of Daniel had many errors.

“When the Bible speaks of science and historical detail, the Bible has some errors. Moderates do not believe the Bible is full of errors, but there are errors.”
-Dr. Cecil Sherman, By My Own Reckoning; 2008. Sherman was a moderate leader in the SBC and CBF.

4. What did moderate leaders do when confronted with clear evidence of liberalism?

They usually denied it, ignored it, changed the subject, or attacked the conservatives who presented the evidence.

Another tactic was to speak of the alleged liberal as a wonderful person. They would tell how he was saved and baptized in a creek. How as a boy he walked five miles barefoot to church. But the issue was not whether or not he was a good person, but whether he believed the Bible was completely true.

5. Have Southern Baptists historically believed in inerrancy?
Yes. Three of many examples:

Speaking of the Bible, “When these inspired declarations were written, they were absolutely infallible.”
-B. H. Carroll (1843-1914), founder of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (quoted from Baptists and the Bible).
Infallible means incapable of error. Conservatives have used it synonymously with the word inerrant.

In reference to the Bible, “Every single part of the whole is God-breathed. And a God of truth does not breathe error.”
-Herschel H. Hobbs, SBC president and chairman of the Baptist Faith & Message 1963 Committee (quoted from The Truth in Crises, vol. 1).

The Bible “in the original autographs, God’s revelation was perfect and without error, doctrinally, historically, scientifically, and philosophically.”
Motion clarifying the Baptist Faith & Message 1963 statement on Scripture. Presented at the 1979 SBC by Wayne Dehoney, agreed to by Larry Lewis, Adrian Rogers, Herschel H. Hobbs. The motion passed by a wide margin. -from books by Hefley and Pressler.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, July 13, AD 2010.

Related Articles:
Q & A on SBC Conservative Resurgence, part 2
Brief History of SBC Conservative Resurgence
Differences Between the 1963 and 2000 Baptist Faith and Message

Order of Service for DEACON ORDINATION

2010-07-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

Below is a copy of our Order of Service for Deacon Ordination last year. We made a special bulletin just for this service. This bulletin was prepared on a regular sized folded paper. The front of the bulletin, in addition to our church name and address, has the heading, Deacon Ordination, March 22, AD 2009. Of course in this format the spacing will not be the same as in the original bulletin.

Hope this Order of Service can help another pastor or church in their Ordination Service.

Northside Baptist Church
317 Barbers Hill Road
Highlands, Texas 77562 USA.
281/426-5415; cell 281/705-3433
nsbc77562@LWOL.com

David R. Brumbelow - Pastor
Gene Littlejohn - Music
James & Becca Cain - Youth
Karen Bascom - Pianist

Deacon’s Ordination Service
March 22, AD 2009; 3 pm

I Will Sing Of My Redeemer p. 281

Prayer Jim Selkirk

Lead Me To Calvary p. 251

Scripture Reading 1 Timothy 3:8-13 - Bobby Powell

Special Music Amazing Grace - Gene Littlejohn

Introduction of Candidates - Kenneth Stanley; James Cain

Introduction of Ordination Council

Questioning of Candidates - Jack Cone

Vote of Ordaining Council and Vote of the church.

Ordination Prayer - Randy Gilchrist

Laying on of Hands * - Ordination Council and any in the audience that are ordained are invited to come forward to pray for the new deacons.

Victory in Jesus p. 499

Sermon Qualifications of the Deacon David R. Brumbelow

Presentation of Certificate of Ordination

Benediction

* Numbers 8:10; 27:18; Deuteronomy 34:9; Acts 6:6; 9:17; 13:3; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6.

Time of Fellowship will follow this service.

Current Deacons: James E. Selkirk; Jack Cone

Ordination Council: James E. Selkirk, Jack Cone, Thomas Tulley, Randy Gilchrist, Bobby Powell; David R. Brumbelow.

“Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.” -Philippians 1:1
Notice that the believers are called saints, then the two biblical offices are addressed, bishops (also called pastors, elders; these three titles used interchangeably in Acts 20:17,28) and deacons.

What is a Deacon? Acts 6:1-7; 1 Timothy 3:8-13.

Deacon - from the Greek word diakonos; literally means “servant.” It can be used unofficially of anyone serving the church, or used in its official sense of the office of deacon.

Kenneth Raeburn Stanley was born August 6, 1942 in Alto, TX to Thomas and Freddie Stanley. He has three brothers and two sisters. Kenneth attended Highland Elementary, Baytown Junior High and Robert E. Lee High School. He married Brenda McHugh in 1961 and they have three boys, one girl, 13 grandchildren, and one great grandchild with two more on the way. He has been a mechanic and motor machinist for 50 years and enjoys car racing. Kenneth joined Northside in the early 1990s and was baptized here.

James Cain was born September 25, 1970 to Charles Cain and Winnie Johnson. Attended Sterling High School, Baytown, TX and received his GED in 1995. Began attending Northside in 1995. James accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and was baptized here in 1996. Has a brother, William Cain and sister, Cheryl Cain.
James married Rebecca Franklin in June, 2003. The two of them have taught the youth group since 2004. James works as an Industrial Fire Protection Technician.
~
Two documents that define much of the beliefs of Northside Baptist Church are the Baptist Faith & Message, 2000 and the Church Covenant. The Baptist Faith & Message, 2000 is the doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Church Covenant was written in the 1850s and has been used by many Baptist churches ever since.

The scriptural offices in the local church are pastors and deacons.
The two ordinances of the church are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

“Deacons served in both material and spiritual matters (Acts 6:2 to 7:60; 8:5-40). Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was a deacon. Note that when both pastors and deacons did their work faithfully, the work of the church prospered (Acts 6:7). That there are two ordained offices does not mean that a church may not have other workers, such as teachers and leaders, in various phases of the work. Such may be chosen as the need demands. But the ordained officers are pastors and deacons.” -Herschel H. Hobbs, The Baptist Faith and Message, Convention Press, Nashville, TN, 1971; p. 81.

1 Timothy 3:8-13
8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. 11 Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
*******
Note: For a listing of all articles in this Deacon Ordination Series, go to Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels), toward the bottom of the right hand margin of this blog, and click the Articles/Labels for Deacons, or Ordination.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, July 7, AD 2010.

Other Gulf Coast Pastor Articles:
Books on Calvinism, Predestination
Brief History of SBC Conservative Resurgence
Differences Between the 1963 and 2000 Baptist Faith and Message
Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times
Deuteronomy 14:26 - Does it Commend Alcohol?
Top Three Seminaries
Wit And Wisdom Of My Dad (Wit & Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow, the book)
Ancient Wine and the Bible - the book

Other articles in lower right hand margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels).

Questioning of the Deacon Candidates

2010-07-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

A member of the Ordination Council can be selected to ask questions of the candidates. Don’t have too many questions and don’t draw it out too long. If you just have one or two candidates, have each answer each question.

After the questioner has asked his questions, the council is then asked if they have additional questions.

Do this on the platform of the sanctuary so everyone can easily see and hear what’s going on. You may need to have more than one microphone stand or ask someone to speak up so everyone can hear.

As previously mentioned, don’t try to trip them up. Just ask basic questions about Baptist faith and practice.

By this time the pastor and council should know the candidates pretty well. They should know the basics of their answers.

But this gives the congregation a chance to hear the questions and answers. It lets the church know that that these are issues that are important. It gives the church the opportunity to hear the candidates answer the questions in their own words.

Note: Unlike a pastor, a deacon is not required to be able to teach or preach. If a deacon can do so, that is great. Stephen and Philip were preaching deacons. But it is not necessary for him to be a good speaker to serve.

Questions for Deacon Candidates
A few sample questions.

1. Briefly tell us your personal testimony. When did you accept Jesus as your Savior? When and where were you baptized?

2. What do you believe about the importance of the church and your church membership?

3. What do you believe about the Bible?

4. Do you believe personal faith in Jesus is the only way of salvation?

5. What do you believe about missions and evangelism?

6. Are you in agreement with the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 and the Church Covenant?

7. What do you believe about drinking? *

8. Do you believe in “Believer’s Baptism by Immersion?”

9. Do you believe in eternal security, or, once a person is truly saved, he is saved forever?

10. Do you believe in tithing?

11. Are the deacons supposed to run the church?
(Hopefully the answer is no. The church is under that authority of Jesus Christ. While deacons will be influential and may make recommendations, the church is to be led by the pastor and the majority vote of the members.)

12. Is there anything else you would like to share with the ordaining council and the church at this time?

NEXT: Deacon Ordination Order of Service; last article in series on deacon ordination.

* You may be interested in Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times and other articles on the Bible and alcohol. Find these other articles in lower right margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels). Click the label for Alcohol.
2006 SBC Resolution on Alcohol Use in America

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, July 5, AD 2010.

Obituary: Deacon Charlie Joe Law

2010-06-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

CHARLIE JOE LAW went to be with the Lord on May 30, 2010. He was born September 5, 1927 to parents Newell and Nettie Law in Atlanta, Texas.

Charlie was a faithful servant of God who was preceded in death by his wife Ella Mae Law.

He is survived by wife Georgie Jurischk Law; daughters: Sherry Bogus (Mel) and Sandra Warren (Stephen); and by many grandchildren, great grandchildren, and loved ones.

His funeral service was June 2, 2010 at 10 am at North Oaks Baptist Church, 18411 Stuebner Airline Road, Spring, Texas 77379. Interment at Rosewood Cemetery in Humble, TX.

In lieu of flowers, memorials were asked to be sent to the Gideon’s International Bible Fund. Obituary was published in the Houston Chronicle, June 1, 2010. Arrangements by Earthman Resthaven, 13102 North Freeway, Houston, TX.

Those officiating included: Pastor Fred Wiesen, Danney Stanley, Emmett Hunt, Jimmy Moore. Pianist Dorothy Salser; Audio Visual Brad Bogus Makeshift Productions. Music included Rock of Ages, I’ll Fly Away, The Lighthouse, I Surrender All.

Charlie Law was a businessman who worked his way from being a delivery boy to management, to business owner. He opened Photo Haus in 1979 with partner Waymon Perry. It was the first one-hour photo lab in Texas and the fourth in the United States. It should also be included that he loved hunting and fishing.

Charlie Law was devoted to his family, his church, and to his Lord. He was a longtime member of Gideon’s International, the Christian businessman’s organization that distributes Bibles in America and around the world. He was respected as a deacon and spiritual leader. He was a devoted friend to his pastor. He often shared his faith in Jesus Christ with others.

Brother Law served as a deacon in Doverside Baptist Church and North Side Baptist Church in Houston, TX where my dad, Joe Brumbelow served as pastor. He and dad served together during parts of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Charlie was a great example of what a deacon ought to be. He loved and supported his church and his pastor. During his memorial service his current pastor mentioned he had a special connection with Charlie Law. I thought every pastor that ever served with him would have felt the same way. That’s just the kind of man Brother Law was.

When I was about 14 years of age I remember overhearing part of a conversation between my dad and Charlie Law. There was some problem in the church and they had been discussing it. I don’t remember the problem. But I remember a comment by Brother Law. He said something along these lines: “Brother Joe, as our pastor you’ve already taken enough hits and criticism. I think I should take the lead and be the one to get the criticism for this issue. Just let me take care of it and you just keep leading us as pastor.”

Even at my young age, I remember being impressed with that, thinking, now that’s a deacon.

Another Charlie Law story goes back even further to about 1962 when I was about 5 years old. We would sing the song To the Work with the chorus, “toiling on, toiling on.” I remember thinking how famous Deacon Charlie Law was. The reason? I actually thought we were singing, instead of toiling on, toiling on; that we were singing Charlie Law, Charlie Law. I knew he must be famous to have a hymn written about him! Years later I told him what I thought we were singing; he enjoyed that story. His daughter Sandra asked me to say a few words at his graveside service and to be sure to include that story. I did, as well as the previous story.

My mother, Bonnie Brumbelow, brother Mark, and I attended the funeral and graveside service. We saw so many old friends. We saw, heard, remembered so many stories of God’s grace connected with Charlie Law, those churches he served, and God’s people. Stories of God’s grace that had affected one generation to another to another.

Thank God for deacons like Charlie Joe Law. Someone said at his funeral that some people are born and leave this world no better than they found it. Some leave it a little worse. But some leave this world a better place because of their life and legacy. Charlie Law left the legacy of a godly man.

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. -1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

During this series about deacons, I thought it appropriate to include this article.

NEXT: Questioning the Deacon Candidates; Order of Service for Deacon Ordination

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 30, AD 2010.

Preparing For The Deacon Ordination Service #2

2010-06-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Where and how to have the candidates kneel.
Laying on of Hands is a very important part of the service. It needs to be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40). The congregation will be especially interested in this part of the service. Make sure they can see what is going on.

I don’t know how to delicately say this; make sure the candidates’ rear ends are not pointing toward the congregation!

Pastor, get a couple of deacons and practice this a day or two before the service. Have someone kneeling and someone laying on hands. While they do this, the pastor should sit out in the sanctuary to see how it will look to the congregation. If you have a large pulpit that could obstruct the congregation‘s view, you may want to move it and use a smaller speaker’s stand for this service.

Once you decide on the procedure, let the deacons, deacon candidates, and council know the procedure and what to expect.

We took two nice, armless chairs and placed them on the platform back to back on either side of the pulpit. The candidates knelt at each chair and were sideways to the audience. Each member of the Ordination Council would come, one by one, stand to the side of the kneeling candidate, with the candidate between them and the audience. This allowed the audience to see everything that was going on.

The Ordination Council is led by the pastor. He goes to the first candidate, lays hands on him, and quietly, but aloud, prays for the new deacon. The pastor then goes to the next deacon, while the next member of the Ordination Council lays hands on and prays for the first deacon. This procedure continues until all members of the Ordination Council has laid hands on the deacons.

Some council members may lay their hands on the head of the deacon. Some may lay hands on the shoulders of the deacons. Just however they fell led by the Spirit. What do they pray as they lay hands on the deacon? That is between the council member, the deacon, and the Lord.

Don’t make the people bow their heads and close their eyes during the Laying on of Hands. They want to see, and they ought to see what is happening.

Ordination Sermon
This is no time to skimp on your sermon (if there ever is a time to do so). Make this an outstanding sermon. Preach like you were preaching in a Revival Service. Preach the Word of God. Preach to the deacons, their wives and families, and to all the church. This is a great opportunity to emphasize the peacemaking role of deacons.

Presentation of the framed Deacon Certificate of Ordination
Have new deacons’ families come and stand with them for the prsentation. You may want to have them continue to stand at the front so that after the closing prayer folks can shake their hands and congratulate them.

Fellowship
Have a Fellowship after the Deacon Ordination Service to honor the deacons, especially the new deacons.

After Publicity
Send a brief news article to area newspapers. Send brief news article to your state Baptist Paper.

Afterwards make a nice photo copy or two of these articles and give them to the new deacons. By the way, a photo copy (on good paper) of a newspaper article will last longer than the original newsprint copy. Make sure to write on the copy the name, city, and state of the newspaper and the complete date.

NEXT: Deacon Charlie Joe Law; Questioning the Deacon Candidates; Order of Service for Deacon Ordination

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 22, AD 2010.

Preparing For The Deacon Ordination Service #1

2010-06-21T06:38:00.000-07:00

Date & Time
Set the date and time of the Deacon Ordination Service at least three weeks ahead of time. This gives you time to publicize the meeting and invite area pastors. Deacon candidates have time to invite family and friends. We set it on a Sunday afternoon so those outside our church could attend without having to miss one of their regular Worship Services.

This also gives you time to order Deacon Certificate of Ordination, frame, etc.

Publicity
Have an announcement in the Sunday bulletin for at least a couple of Sundays before the Ordination Service. Build it up to the church; let them know this is a special kind of service.

Contact the Baptist Association and area pastors and invite them to the Deacon Ordination Service. Ask the Ordination Council to arrive one hour early. The Ordination Council will consist of ordained pastors and deacons in your church and, if you choose, visiting ordained Baptist pastors and deacons.

Ordination Certificate & Frame
The ordination council should chose a Clerk; his primary responsibility should be to get all members of the ordination council to sign the Certificate of Ordination. Also, he may want to take notes of those serving on the council and the proceedings.

Make sure the Certificate is signed by the entire ordination counsel before the Ordination Service. If you don’t get everyone to sign it then, you never will have them all sign it. . If the vote is not to ordain, you can tear it up!

Sometimes the front of the certificate just has room for the pastor and the clerk to sign it. If there is not room on the front for everyone on the Ordination Council to sign, then have them all sign it on the back.

Place the filled out and signed Deacon’s Certificate of Ordination in a nice frame. Place a couple of copies of the Ordination Service Bulletin in the frame behind the Certificate.

If possible, have the Ordination Certificate framed and ready to present to the new deacon(s) at the conclusion of the service. This will also give the church an opportunity to see the framed Certificate after the service.

Deacon Candidates and their families
During the Ordination Service, at the appropriate time, introduce the current deacons and their wives, the deacon candidates and their wives, and the Ordination Council.

Explain what is going on
During the Ordination Service, let the congregation know what is going on. Explain the laying on of hands. Explain what the Bible teaches about ordination and the laying on of hands. Don’t assume they understand what is going on.

Ordination Council
The Ordination Council will meet an hour early in a back room. At the opening of the Ordination Service, you may want the council to walk in together and take their seats. Some churches have them sit in the choir loft. Or you could have them sit to the side at the front of the sanctuary.

NEXT: Preparing For the Deacon Ordination Service #2; Deacon Charlie Joe Law; Questioning the Deacon Candidates; Order of Service for Deacon Ordination

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 21, AD 2010.

SBC Orlando, 2010

2010-06-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

What’s going to happen at the annual Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando, Florida? I wish I knew. No, I’ll not be offering any prophecies here. But this will be an important convention for several reasons.

First, the election of a new SBC president. It used to be a dream of many conservatives that the day would come when several men would be nominated president, and all of them would be committed to upholding the inerrancy of the of the Bible in their committee and trustee appointments. Thank God for the Conservative Resurgence. Thank God that apparently all four presidential nominees are solid conservatives.

Interestingly, it seems that solid conservative voters are divided among all four candidates. So the presidential election will prove very interesting.

Just because the SBC has been brought back to a strong belief in the inerrancy of the Word of God, however, does not mean all our problems are now solved. Baptists who are conservative and evangelistic still have their differences of opinion. A prime example is the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Report (GCRTFR). Will it be accepted, rejected, or amended? Will the vote be close? Will it be voted in, but not completely implemented by Boards of Trustees? Is it as bad as some say, or as good as some say?

Right now it seems the odds are in favor of the GCRTFR being adopted. But not much in the SBC is absolutely certain. Baptist messengers can be a cantankerous, independent bunch. Some will get mad at the decisions of this year’s SBC, but most will get over it.

By the way, while some have criticized Baptist Press (click on their link in the right margin of this blog) for being biased against the GCRTFR, I’ve seen a different picture. I’ve loved their reporting since they changed from leaning moderate to liberal, to leaning conservative and pro-SBC as a result of the Conservative Resurgence. They do a great job reporting news in general and they are one of my favorite sites. Respected leaders are on both sides of the GCRTFR. I’ve enjoyed reading both sides of this issue in Baptist Press (BP). They have had strong articles both pro and con, and I hope they continue that type of reporting.

As always, the Christian fellowship will be outstanding. Because, well, we’re brothers and sisters in Christ. Because as fellow laborers in the field we have so much in common. And because we need that talking, laughing, and joking with one another. Preachers will meet new friends and enjoy the fellowship of old companions from college and seminary. Preachers need fellowship with their fellow pastors.

There will, of course, be great singing and preaching. People will be challenged to be soul winners, and to allow God’s Word to transform their lives.

Crossover Orlando (local evangelistic emphasis leading up to each annual SBC) may have become the most important part of the annual SBC. At least it is for those who, as a result, come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And it is not just the official Crossover efforts. Many messengers will speak a word of witness to folks in Florida. Some will use the SBC provided Gospel tracts or bring their own. Many of those tracts will be left, hopefully with an above average tip, in restaurants and motels in Florida and across the USA. Only God knows how many messengers will point people to Jesus as a result of this trip.

Pray for the messengers and the ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention. Pray that God will work through us and because of us. And thank God that sometimes He works in spite of us.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 12, AD 2010.

Note: Deacon series will continue despite this interlude.

The Baptist Deacon

2010-06-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

Basic Bible passages on deacons: Acts 6:1-7; 1 Timothy 3:8-13; Philippians 1:1.
Deacon - from the Greek word diakonos; literally means “servant.” It can be used unofficially of anyone serving the church, or used in its official sense of the office of deacon.

A deacon is to be a servant of the church. The pastor (also called bishop and elder in the NT) is the spiritual leader in the church. But in a practical sense the deacons are also looked to as spiritual leaders in the local church. Deacons are not to rule over the church or the pastor, but they are to be loving, serving leaders. Deacons assist in presenting the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper and, if needed, in the ordinance of baptism. They are to assist and support the church, the pastor, and its leaders. Deacons should have a positive view of their church. They should do all in their power to foster harmony and minimize dissention. Unless a pastor seriously steps out of line, the deacons should be his biggest supporters.

A deacon should: be a baptized believer; praying, faithful, loyal supporter of his church; live a committed life for the Lord; be a tither; a problem-solver; not drink alcoholic beverages or engage in any practice that would hurt the church or his influence for Christ; faithfully love, support, and lead his wife and family; discipline and raise his children well; never bring reproach on the cause of Christ; be a witness for Jesus Christ. If a deacon gets out of church and out of God’s will, he should resign as a deacon and return his certificate of ordination.

Two documents that define much of Northside Baptist Church, Highlands, TX would be the Baptist Faith & Message, 2000 and the Church Covenant. The Baptist Faith & Message, 2000 is the doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Church Covenant was written in the 1850s and has been used by many Baptist churches ever since. In 1970 Northside made the decision that a divorced man would not serve as pastor or deacon. Of course, those who have been divorced, are a welcome part of Northside and may serve in any other church capacity.

Current deacons of Northside: James E. Selkirk, Oswall Harman, Jack Cone.
Those under consideration as deacons: Kenneth Stanley, James Cain.

Process: Present deacon recommendation to church, vote, then set up ordination service.

VI. The Church
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.
The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.” -Baptist Faith & Message, 2000.

“Deacons served in both material and spiritual matters (Acts 6:2 to 7:60; 8:5-40). Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was a deacon. Note that when both pastors and deacons did their work faithfully, the work of the church prospered (Acts 6:7). That there are two ordained offices does not mean that a church may not have other workers, such as teachers and leaders, in various phases of the work. Such may be chosen as the need demands. But the ordained officers are pastors and deacons.” -Herschel H. Hobbs, The Baptist Faith and Message, Convention Press, Nashville, TN, 1971; p. 81.

NEXT: Preparing for the Deacon Ordination Service
See all Deacon articles in this series by clicking Deacons under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels) in lower right margin.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 7, AD 2010.

Ancient Wine and the Bible - the book

Deacons - Basic Baptist Doctrines

2010-06-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

Below is a handout I prepared and gave to our deacons and deacon candidates. We went over the doctrines and discussed them. A deacon needs to know what we believe and why we believe it. Deacons should be grounded in the faith. They also need to be prepared to answer questions during the Ordination Service!
We also discussed a handout on The Baptist Deacon. That will be posted next.

Fundamental or Basic Christian Doctrines are the foundational beliefs of Christianity. They have been believed by all, or at least the huge majority, of all Christians. Distinctive Baptist Doctrines are those beliefs that distinquish Baptists from all other, or some other, Evangelical Christian groups.

Deacons - Basic Baptist Doctrines
(Summary, for a complete statement, read the Bible!)

Fundamental, Basic Christian Doctrines:
1. Divine inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. The Bible is our supreme rule of faith and practice.

2. The Trinity. God is one, but reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

3. Jesus is God.

4. The Virgin Birth of Jesus.

5. Jesus’ sinless life

6. The blood atonement. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, shed His blood for us.

7. Jesus literally, physically rose from the dead.

8. Literal Return of Christ to the earth.

9. Resurrection and Judgment

10. Reality of Heaven and Hell

11. Man is a sinner in need of a Savior.

12. Personal faith in Jesus is the only way of salvation. Faith alone in Christ alone.
A deacon should have a basic understanding of how to share the plan of salvation (see previous GCP article on The Roman Road).

Distinctive Baptist Doctrines:
1. Believers Baptism by Immersion, is the scriptural means of baptism.

2. Two scriptural offices: pastors and deacons. In the Bible pastor, bishop, and elder are used synonymously for the same office.

3. Eternal Security of the believer. Once saved, always saved. But true faith should result in good works for the Lord.

4. Autonomy of the local church. The local church is a democratic body, with Christ as the head of the church. No one outside a local Baptist church can tell them what to do.

5. Religious liberty. Citizens of a country should be free to worship according to the dictates of their conscience. They should be free to witness to others.

6. Requirements for church membership: salvation and believer’s baptism by immersion.

7. Priesthood of the believer. Each believer is responsible before God to search the Scripture and believe and live accordingly.

8. The two ordinances of the church are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. They are not sacraments. A sacrament carries with it the idea of having “saving grace.” We are only saved by personal faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Ordinance - a special command given by Jesus for the church to observe.

9. The elements (unleavened bread & fruit of the vine) of the Lord’s Supper are symbolic, not literal. They are not His literal body, they symbolize Jesus’ body and blood given for us on the cross. The Lord’s Supper is not a sacrifice, it is a memorial service.

10. Missions and Evangelism. We are to go into all the world with the Gospel.

11. Southern Baptists stand against beverage alcohol,*** destructive drugs, and gambling.

12. Our church is a part of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC), and the San Jacinto Baptist Association (SJBA).

More Information:
Baptist doctrine and practice: Baptist Faith & Message, 2000; Church Covenant.*
Good Bible Translations: NKJV, NIV, NASB, HCSB, KJV.
Good Study Bibles: Criswell Study Bible (aka Believer’s Study Bible; Baptist Study Edition); Ryrie Study Bible; Scofield Study Bible.
Keep up with Baptist life by reading the Southern Baptist Texan (texanonline.net) & Baptist Press at bpnews.net.**

* Print copies of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 and the Church Covenant can be obtained from LifeWay. See previous GCP articles on these two statements. We gave copies of these to the deacons and deacon candidates.
** Our deacons are subscribed to the print copy of the Southern Baptist Texan, the state paper of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.
*** You may be interested in
Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times and other articles on the Bible and alcohol. Find these other articles in lower right margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels). Click the label for Alcohol.

Ancient Wine and the Bible - the book
2006 SBC Resolution on Alcohol Use in America
Books on Calvinism, Predestination

NEXT: The Baptist Deaon (find all Deacon articles in lower right margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, June 1, AD 2010.

Ordination of Deacons - Finding the Right Men

2010-05-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

I’ll not go over all the biblical qualifications of deacons. The basic requirements are in the Bible. Depending on your interpretation of those passages, and your individual church situation, those qualifications may vary.

I know believers are divided about whether a divorced man may serve as a deacon. My church, long before I became their pastor, made the decision that their deacons not be divorced.

It should be noted, however, that a man may do the work of a deacon without holding the office of deacon. I know of a divorced man who was a wonderful Christian leader. He never complained about not being a deacon; but he was a deacon in every sense of the word except holding the official title of deacon.

A man should hold the office of deacon. The Bible teaches a man should occupy the office of pastor and deacon in the local church. A man should be the loving leader in the home. Other than these areas, we have no strict requirements about the roles of women and men. Obviously men and women are equal before God and of equal worth. Both are qualified to minister in numerous ways.

Pastors and deacons should believe in and practice tithing to their local church.

Do not lay hands on a novice. Take your time. Don’t ordain someone too soon. 1 Timothy 3:6 (novice) speaks directly to pastors, but I think it can also apply to deacons. Notice that 1 Timothy 3:8 says “likewise deacons.” The rules for pastor generally apply to deacons as well.

A pastor should have a general sense of who qualifies as a deacon and who doesn’t. In Acts 6 the church chose the deacons. But a pastor can guide the church and even veto some that are clearly not qualified. This can most easily be done early on in the process. The details will vary as to how an individual church goes about choosing deacons.

In our case a deacon mentioned to me two men he felt qualified. I thought about it, prayed about it, and agreed. We talked to the other deacons and they agreed. I talked to the potential candidates and they agreed to serve if the church approved. Neither of the candidates had in any way sought the office. That is a big plus in their favor. The person who gets mad because he was not chosen as a deacon, has just demonstrated that he was not really qualified in the first place.

The deacons then brought a recommendation to the church that we begin the process of ordaining these two as deacons. The church so voted. (We are a small church. At the beginning of this process we had 3 deacons. One of those deacons had been in the hospital, and died before the ordination service.)

I personally, informally met with the candidates. The current deacons, pastor, and candidates all met together. We went over the statements of The Baptist Deacon and Baptist Doctrines (these will be presented in future posts). We also had the opportunity to fellowship and ask questions back and forth. We prayed together. In previous years, I had had the honor of baptizing both of these candidates.

We discussed possible questions that would come up during the Ordination Service. Deacon candidates should know the basics of our beliefs, but don’t expect them to have an advanced seminary degree. Don’t try to embarrass or trip them up with an obscure theological question. (Theological questions should be a little more detailed when ordaining a pastor.)

The deacons we chose are not perfect, but neither is their pastor. I have no doubt, however, that God led us to the right men.

We also talked about a date for the Ordination Service. We chose a date that allowed the deacon candidates to have their family and friends in attendance. We set the time for a Sunday afternoon so neighboring pastors and deacons could attend without missing their own church services. Because of this afternoon service, we cancelled our usual 6 pm Sunday Evening Worship Service.

Note: Go to a LifeWay or Christian Bookstore and purchase or order (bhpublishinggroup.com; 800/458-2772) Deacon Certificates of Ordination. Get twice as many as you need; you may damage one and need to start over. Buy nice frames for the Certificates. More on this later.

NEXT: Deacons - Baptist Doctrines

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 24, AD 2010.

Ordination of Deacons - Introduction

2010-05-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Churches, especially small churches, do not often ordain deacons. Many young pastors have never seen a Deacon Ordination Service. Many pastors know little about the details of this type service. Some churches conduct a deacons’ ordination like they would a standard business meeting. I believe this type service should not be ordinary, but instead an outstanding, spiritually uplifting service.

Last year our church ordained two deacons. In the next posts, I plan to show the details of our ordination process. This is not to say you have to do it exactly like we did. This is just to show you our procedure, and perhaps give you some ideas for the next time you ordain deacons.

Why should a pastor and church make a big deal out of a simple Deacon Ordination Service?

1. It brings glory to God.

2. It honors the Scripture. Deacons are important in Scripture and should be important in your church.

3. It lets the deacons, their wives, and the church know this is something special. Serving as a deacon, and a deacon’s wife, is an honor and a great responsibility.

4. It shows the church that this is a spiritual office. This is not just a business arrangement, or a symbolic honor that means nothing.

5. Lets the church see first hand what is involved in an ordination service.

6. It gives you a golden opportunity to teach the church about deacons and ordination.

7. A deacon will take their job of spiritual leadership more seriously, if you take their ordination seriously. This should also be true of the current deacons as they participate in this ordination service.

8. People enjoy a certain amount of variety. This is a different kind of service that seldom comes around. Since this is a service that may not occur but once every few years, make the most of it.

I’ve seen people leaning on the edge of their seat to see exactly what is happening in an ordination service. I’ve seen them go away with a sense of wonder and respect at the spiritual impact of such a meeting. It is truly a time of worship.

If you are going to ordain spiritually qualified candidates as deacons, do a first class job. Make it a spiritual experience they will not soon forget.

NEXT: Ordination of Deacons - Finding the Right Men

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 17, AD 2010.

When I'm An Old Lady

2010-05-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

When I’m an old lady, I’ll live with each kid.
And bring so much happiness… just as they did.
I want to pay back all the joy they’ve provided.
Returning each deed! Oh, they’ll be so excited!
When I’m an old lady and live with my kids.

I’ll write on the walls with reds, whites and blues,
And I’ll bounce on the furniture wearing my shoes.
I’ll drink from the carton and then leave it out.
I’ll stuff all the toilets and oh, how they’ll shout!
When I’m an old lady and live with my kids.

When they’re on the phone and just out of reach,
I’ll get into things like sugar and bleach.
Oh, they’ll snap their fingers and then shake their head,
When I’m an old lady and live with my kids.

When they cook dinner and call me to eat,
I’ll not eat my green beans or salad or meat.
I’ll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table.
And when they get angry… I’ll run.. if I’m able!
When I’m an old lady and live with my kids.

I’ll sit close to the TV, through the channels I’ll click,
I’ll cross both eyes just to see if they stick,
I’ll take off my socks and throw one away,
And play in the mud until the end of the day!
When I’m an old lady and live with my kids.

And later in bed, I’ll lay back and sigh,
I’ll thank God in prayer and then close my eyes,
My kids will look down with a smile slowly creeping,
And say with a groan, “She’s so sweet when she’s sleeping!”
-Anonymous; The Ozarks Mountaineer, May/June, 2007.

Happy Mother’s Day!

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 5, AD 2010.

Obituary - Clarence Branch (AD 1927-2010)

2010-05-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” -Revelation 14:13.

Clarence Leslie Branch, Sr. went from this life to the next on March 31, 2010.

His Funeral Service was April 2, 2010 at Calvary Baptist Church, Brownfield, Texas with Dale Matlock and Joseph O’Briant officiating. Interment at Terry County Memorial Cemetery with Steve Carter officiating. Arrangements by Brownfield Funeral Home.

Clarence was born on December 3, 1927 in Driscoll, Texas to William Jennings Branch and Ima Branch. He graduated from Corpus Christi High School in 1946 where he lettered in football for three years and was captain his senior year. He attended Rice University, and the University of Corpus Christi. He was elected captain of the football team while at UCC and also lettered in basketball.

While a student at Rice, he was drafted by the U.S. Army and served 18 months of military duty. He was contacted by the Pittsburgh Steelers about playing football. Brother Clarence was called to preach the gospel while a student at UCC. He returned to graduate there in 1961.

Clarence Branch was pastor of Second Baptist Church, New Braunfels; Bethel Baptist Church, Corpus Christi; Retama Park Baptist Church, Kingsville; Forrest Park Baptist Church, Corpus Christi; Calvary Baptist Church, Brownfield; First Baptist Church, Anson; Windsor Park Baptist Church, Corpus Christi; and West Shore Baptist Church, Lake Corpus Christi. He preached revivals in Brazil, California, Kansas, Oregon, North Dakota and throughout Texas.

Clarence is survived by his wife Dorothy Marie. They were married in 1948 by Lester Roloff in Corpus Christi, Texas.

He is also survived by his daughter, Cheryll Matlock and her husband Dale Matlock of Brownfield, as well as his son, Clarence “Leslie” Branch, Jr. of the home.

Clarence Branch is survived by five grandsons - Robert Steagall and his wife Angela of Corpus Christi; John Steagall and hsi wife Penny of Honolulu; Aaron Steagall of Brownfield; Joseph O’Briant, III and his wife Elizabeth of Welch; and Joshua O’Briant, I and his wife Tiffany of Brownfield, and seven great-grandchildren. Memorials can be made to Brownfield Senior Citizens or Challis Baptist Church.

*******

My dad, Joe Brumbelow, went to UCC with Clarence Branch and they were longtime friends. My brother, Steve Brumbelow, preached several revivals for Clarence Branch.

Brother Clarence enjoyed joking and kidding with others. On one occasion Joe Brumbelow, Clarence Branch, and one or two others preached in a Bible Conference in Corpus Christi, TX. After the conference they were each duly sent a $100 check for their part in the Conference. Clarence called Joe and said, “Joe it was a great conference. I sure appreciate the $300 check they sent me.” Joe said, “Clarence, you’re an instigator.”

Clarence Branch was one of the many Southern Baptist pastors who faithfully preached the Word, loved the lost, and served his Master. He’s one of the ones I looked up to through the years. May God bless his family, and may his inheritance be forever.

Note: Clarence Branch’s obituary was in The Brownfield News, April 3, 2010; also in the Southern Baptist Texan, May 3, 2010.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 3, AD 2010.

The Roman Road of Salvation

2010-04-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

The Gospel (Good News) is that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” -1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Below is another handout I’ve used for church and student groups. It is simple, and hopefully plain. It briefly presents the story, the plan of salvation. How a person can be forgiven of their sins, be made right with God, and have eternal life here and throughout eternity in Heaven. It is called the Roman Road Plan of Salvation because all the Bible verses are in the book of Romans.

There are several reasons to present the Roman Road here.

First, we need to know it and be reminded of it.

Second, preachers and church workers need to know how to present the plan of salvation to someone.

Third, some may want to copy and use this handout with both those who need to know Jesus as their Savior, and with believers so they can be more grounded in their faith.

Fourth, the Roman Road is one way of presenting the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus. But it can be shortened, lengthened, and adapted to present the Gospel in a specific situation, to a particular person.

Fifth, someone may be reading this that does not know what the Bible teaches about God’s love, our sin, and God’s salvation. The greatest thing you can ever do is to ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, believe in Him, and trust Him as your Lord and Savior.

I occasionally hear someone say, “A prayer will not save you.” I strongly disagree. If a person believes what is presented below, prays the prayer of salvation or one similar to it, and means it in their heart, they will be saved. We have God’s Word on it.

If they mean that just reciting a prayer, without understanding or meaning it, will not save you, then I can agree. But if you sincerely pray, your sins will be forgiven and you will be made a child of God.

By the way, one result of the Conservative Resurgence in the SBC is that conservative trustees led LifeWay into including the plan of salvation in most all of their literature. It is usually found on the inside front or back cover of their periodicals. That was a great, important decision.

The Roman Road of Salvation

1. We have a problem, we’re all sinners and God is a holy God.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

2. The Bible teaches that payment for sin is death, separation from God. But God has a gift He wants to give you. For a gift to be yours, however, you have to accept it.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

3. God loves us in spite of our sin. He wants us to be made right with Him. God the Son, Jesus, died for our sins, shed His blood on the cross, so we could be forgiven. Eternal life is a free gift to us, but cost Jesus his life.
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

4. What do you need to do? Admit your sins, trust in Jesus, ask Him to forgive your sins and come into your heart and be your Savior.
Romans 10:9-10 “If you confess with your mouth the Lord* Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (* The word “Lord” means about the same as “Boss.”)
Romans 10:13 “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (New King James Version of the Bible)

5. Prayer: Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and that You died to save me. I believe that You rose from the dead and are living today. Please forgive me of all my sins. Come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. I ask this in Jesus’ name Amen.

After you trust Jesus: Find a good Bible believing church and go every Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night; get baptized; read a chapter in the Bible every day, start in John or Luke; pray each day; tell others about Jesus.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 29, AD 2010.

Related Article:
Saved by the Sinner's Prayer

Why Wait?

2010-04-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Every now and then at church, or for a student group, I prepare a half page handout to go along with the message. One of these brief handouts is below. Hopefully it can be of help to some.

Too often churches and parents are silent about reasons to wait until marriage to have sex. Too often teenagers and adults do not know the reasons to wait, or they need to be reminded of them.

Why Wait?

Reasons to wait until marriage to have sex.

1. Sex is a gift from God and He only intended it between the marriage of one man and one woman. (Mark 10:6-9)

2. Having sex with a person creates a kind of “oneness” that God intended only for marriage. (1 Corinthians 6:16)

3. To have a clean conscience and no worries. Don’t have to worry about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), pregnancy, or the embarrassment of seeing former boyfriends, girlfriends, at school, church, work. Abstinence is the only 100% reliable method of prevention of STDs and pregnancy.

4. To test the commitment of the other person. Some promise marriage just to get sex.

5. You cannot grow as a Christian if you are having sex outside of marriage.

6. To be clearheaded when you are making important decisions, especially about dating and marriage.

7. To increase your chance of a happy, lasting marriage. People who have sex before marriage and those who live together before marriage have a higher rate of divorce.

8. To avoid the heartbreak, regret, and anger that sex outside of marriage brings. Many people regret it. They feel used and worthless because they gave away something precious.

When we sin, if we confess our sin to God, He promises to forgive (1 John 1:9). But He does not promise to take away the consequences of our sin. As one young woman told Josh McDowell, “Yes, God forgives, but the scars remain.” God’s plan A is don’t sin; His plan B is if we sin He still loves us and is willing to forgive (1 John 2:1).

Stay away from tempting situations.
Flee sexual immorality. -1 Corinthians 6:18.

Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; he who does so destroys his own soul. Wounds and dishonor he will get, and his reproach will not be wiped away. -Proverbs 6:32-33

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 19, AD 2010.

Charles H. Spurgeon on Alcohol

2010-04-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

“I hope they will be full of spirit against evil spirits, stout against stout, and hale against ale.”
-Charles H. Spurgeon, letter to temperance society, March 19, 1884.

Occasionally you hear someone defending social drinking by using Charles Haddon Spurgeon (AD 1834-1892) as an example. Or as an excuse. If the great Baptist preacher of London did not believe in abstinence from beverage alcohol, then it must be alright for us to drink.

Contrary to this view, we should follow biblical teaching and the common sense God gave us. Some will be surprised, however, to see what Spurgeon came to believe about the recreational use of the drug alcohol.

In his early years, Charles Haddon Spurgeon disagreed with those who preached abstinence from alcohol. But as time went by, the temperance advocates (those who promoted total abstinence from beverage alcohol), convinced Spurgeon; or maybe the Holy Spirit convinced him. Spurgeon actually became a temperance advocate. Temperance meetings were held in Spurgeon’s church, the Metropolitan Tabernacle.

In 1882 Spurgeon would boldly declare, “Next to the preaching of the Gospel, the most necessary thing to be done in England is to induce our people to become abstainers.” I’m strongly against drinking, but I’m not even sure that I would go as far as Spurgeon, with his above statement.

Dr. Lewis Drummond stated of Spurgeon, “Obviously he had become a strong advocate for abstinence.”

The two above quotes are from Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers by Dr. Lewis A. Drummond, Foreword by Carl F. H. Henry, Kregel Publications; 1992. Dr. Drummond was a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. As a result of the SBC Conservative Resurgence, Drummond was the first conservative president of SEBTS.

Charles Spurgeon also spoke to the issue of Communion Wine stating that his church used only unfermented wine.

“We use Frank Wright’s unfermented wine at the Tabernacle, and have never used any other unfermented wine. I am given to understand that some of the so-called unfermented wine has in it a considerable amount of alcohol; but Mr. Wright’s is the pure juice of the grape. One person advertised his wine as used at the Tabernacle though we had never used it even on one occasion. So far as we are concerned, we use no wine but that produced by Messrs. Frank Wright, Mundy, and Co.
Yours truly, C. H. SPURGEON.” -Westwood, June 20, 1887.
(www.godrules.net/library/spurgeon/NEW8spurgeon_d12.htm; accessed 4-12-2010)

Notice that Spurgeon calls this pure juice of the grape “unfermented wine.” Some erroneously say there is no such thing, that all “wine” is fermented. Spurgeon, Aristotle, Nicander, Horace, Pliny, Polybius, Cato, Plutarch, and others would disagree.

Next time you hear someone say Spurgeon was for social drinking, tell them the rest of the story. Charles H. Spurgeon became a strong advocate of total abstinence from alcohol.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 12, AD 2010.

Note: You may also be interested in Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times, and other articles under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels) in the bottom right margin.
Deuteronomy 14:26 - Does it Commend Alcohol?
Ancient Wine and the Bible - the book

Israel, May They Prosper Who Love You

2010-04-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. -Psalm 122:6

Some Christians today say we should not support the Jews or Israel. Incredibly, some say the Israelis are no different than the terrorists they fight.

Israelis and the terrorists they fight, however, are no more equivalent than the USA and the terrorists we fight. We are not always right, but we are assuredly more right than those we oppose.

* Israel does not send suicide bombers, including children, to blow up innocent people.
* Israeli soldiers do not hide in, and shoot from, the homes of innocents and force the other side to fire on them there.
* They do not use women and children as shields during battle.
* Israel has many Arabs living within the borders of Israel proper. They live there in relative peace and security, and prosper. They are Israeli citizens. On the other hand, when Israel pulled out of Gaza they had to evacuate all the Jews, or they would have been murdered by the militants.
* Israel is a democracy, surrounded by dictatorships.
* Israel has a tiny sliver of land; the Arabs have incredible amounts of territory compared to Israel.

The answer to both sides is personal faith in Jesus Christ as Messiah and Savior. I’m all for sending missionaries to both sides. There are certainly good and bad in every race. There are wonderful Jewish Christians, and wonderful Arab Christians. I do not believe all Palestinians, all Arabs, or all Muslims are terrorists. But I certainly oppose those who are. Recently it has come to light that some Arabs protected Jews during Nazi control of North Africa and the Middle East; God bless them.

Israel is not always right, and we should oppose them when they are wrong. Don’t blindly support them, or us. But be sure about the facts, before you speak up and oppose the Israelis.

It has been asked how exactly can Christians support Israel. How can we keep our support for Israel from just being a platitude? Good question.

Ways We Can Be Supportive of Israel
1. Pray for them, their safety, their security. They live in an entirely different world than we do and while they have a tenuous treaty or two, they are basically surrounded by enemies. Enemy tanks could roll across their entire country in much less than a day. They have to always be on guard. Get a Middle East map and see the size of their country as compared to the surrounding nations and the Arab and Muslim controlled lands.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” -Psalm 122:6

2. Pray for their salvation.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” -Romans 10:1

3. Support them by voting for candidates that support our aid to, and our friendship with Israel. Support their right to exist and defend themselves.

I believe God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants in Genesis 12:3 is still true, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.” One of the reasons God has blessed America is we have blessed His chosen people.

4. Encourage people to go visit Israel as tourists. It helps their economy; tourism is one of their biggest sources of income. You will also learn more about the modern day country of Israel and the difficulties they face. You will come to love the Holy Land as never before.

5. Speak up for the Jews, Israel, and against anti-Semitism. Teach what the Bible teaches about them. Remember everything about Christianity comes from the Jews and their faith.

“In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” -Genesis 12:3

6. Some Christians support Israel in other financial ways.

7. Support trade with Israel. When you have a chance, buy what is produced in Israel.

We should love, pray for, and witness to all people. But God’s chosen people are still special.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 6, AD 2010.

Easter, Christianity, and the Resurrection

2010-04-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

The Gospel (Good News) is that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” -1 Corinthians 15:3-4; The Bible

Did Jesus really die for our sins and rise from the dead on the third day? Yes! He really, physically, literally, bodily, rose from the dead and is living today.

Easter is special, but really every time followers of Jesus worship on Sunday it is in celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Sunday is sometimes called the Christian Sabbath or the Lord’s Day.

We see from the following verses that the Christians began to worship on Sunday:

Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” -John 20:19-21

And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!” -John 20:26

On the first day of the week, Peter preached his sermon on the day of Pentecost and 3,000 souls were saved.

Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. -Acts 20:7-8
(As a preacher who still has Sunday Evening Worship Services, I can’t help but point out that John 20:19-21 and Acts 20:7-8 refer to Sunday Evening gatherings.)

On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. -1 Corinthians 16:2

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet. -Revelation 1:10

The early church was composed of Jewish believers in Jesus as their Messiah, their Savior. They had always worshipped on Saturday, the 7th Day. Why in the world would they change? It would have taken an incredible event. And it did. The incredible miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What did the early church do? The church soon after New Testament times? They also worshipped on the first day of the week.

Barnabas, AD 120 - “We keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose from the dead.”

Justin Martyr, c. AD 165 - “But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our communion assembly because Jesus Christ, our Saviour, on the same day arose from the dead.”

Bardesones of Odessa, Asia, AD 180 - “On one day, the first day of the week, we assemble ourselves together.”

Clement of Alexandria, AD 194 - “He, in fulfillment of the precept, according to the gospel, keeps the Lord’s day, when he abandons an evil disposition…glorifying the Lord’s resurrection in himself.”

Tertullian in Africa, Bishop of Carthage, AD 200 - “We solemnize the day after Saturday in contradiction to those who call this day their Sabbath.”

Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, Africa, AD 250 - “The eighth day, that is, the first day after the Sabbath, and the Lord’s day.”

Apostolic Constitution, AD 250 - “On the day of our Lord’s resurrection, which is the Lord’s day meet more diligently.”

A man told a preacher, “The Christian religion is no big deal. It would be easy to start a religion like that.”
The preacher replied, “Oh yes. You would only have to get crucified and rise again the third day.”

And that is exactly what Jesus did.

Believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose again. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart to be your Lord and Savior. Follow Him. And Easter and the Resurrection will have meaning as never before. Jesus loves you. He is the way to forgiveness, salvation, resurrection, and everlasting life. Jesus gave His all to you; give your heart and life to Him.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” -John 11:25.

Reference: R. G. Lee.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 1, AD 2010.