Wealthy Contributors; Neglected Ministries

Every year worthy, and unworthy, organizations receive large gifts from wealthy donors. God bless those donors to the worthy ministries. Many give to great organizations like Samaritan’s Purse, International Mission Board, SBC, and other good ministries.

I was speaking with a friend the other day, and found he and I independently were thinking the same thing. He told of a two million gift to a good cause. But then we thought of other good solid causes that were struggling, and did not receive as much publicity.

Have you got a few million to spare? Looking for a worthy ministry? Looking to endow a ministry?  Want to lay up treasure in Heaven?  Let me tell you of some ministries that could do much good with those kinds of gifts.

The Biblical Evangelist
An old fashioned independent Baptist fundamentalist paper that presents the fundamental or basic Christian doctrines in sermons, illustrations, and Bible studies. They are Premillennial, Pre-Tribulational, and evangelistic. Led by Evangelist R. L. Sumner, former Associate Editor with John R. Rice at the Sword of the Lord. While independent, the Biblical Evangelist has no problem working with conservative Southern Baptists and features their sermons as well. They are a good balance among all the influences swirling in our Christian world today. Many leading conservative preachers have subscribed to this paper for years. They also publish a number of books.

American Council on Addiction and Alcohol Problems (ACAAP)
The is the former Anti-Saloon League. They continue to educate and speak out against alcohol and other drug abuse. They work to pass laws to reduce drug abuse. ACAP stands for abstinence from beverage alcohol. We desperately need this kind of ministry in a world awash with drugs, abuse, addiction, and a tendency to legalize even more illicit drugs.  ACAAP.us 

Mission Dignity
This ministry is fulfilling a great need in our day. Many Southern Baptist pastors have faithfully served small churches through their careers, and never made a large salary. They are now retired with very limited finances. Mission Dignity supplements the limited income of retired pastors and their widows. Your gifts can increase their ability to assist these retired soldiers of the cross. This is a ministry of GuideStone Financial Resources.

Connect 316
A Southern Baptist group speaking in favor of Traditionalism in the midst of a rise of Calvinism in the evangelical world. When I was growing up, this view (Traditionalism) was often called either non-Calvinism or Moderate Calvinism. If you believe Jesus Christ died for all of humanity, rather than died only for the elect, you should check out this organization. Connect316 believes Jesus died for all, therefore, whosoever will may come. They also have some great resources.

So, if you have a few million and need a place to give, consider these ministries. They might even accept your gifts of under a million!

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 17, AD 2016.

Articles:
Ancient Wine and the Bible - the Book; update
Wit And Wisdom Of My Dad
Up Fool Hill, by J. B. Gambrell

Other articles in lower right margin.

Saving for Retirement

Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 

-Matthew 25:16

There is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it. 

-Proverbs 21:20

Frankie Martin was the treasurer at the first church I pastored. Friendship Baptist Church, Beeville, Texas paid me $600 a month. I also did ranch work on the side. As I recall, Frankie did not ask me or the church, she just started a retirement account for me at GuideStone (then the Annuity Board). $60 a month. She explained a church was supposed to send 10% of the pastor’s salary to his GuideStone Retirement. This did not come out of my salary, but was in addition to it. Frankie is in Heaven today. May God bless her and Friendship for what they did for a young preacher. Since then, I’ve had the next two churches I’ve pastored increase that amount sent to GuideStone.

Assuming God blesses you with a long, happy life, you will one day get old and retire. Serve the Lord and stay busy when you retire. Contrary to a few, there is nothing wrong with retirement. And there is nothing wrong with saving for retirement.

Whatever you think of Social Security, it was never meant to be a full retirement, but a supplement during retirement. You need your own separate retirement fund.

If you are a young preacher, this article is especially important for you. Read every word. Do what I say, and one day you will rise up and call me blessed.

If your job has a 401(k), or whatever kind of retirement plan, give to it. If they match your contributions up to a certain amount, you are foolish not to contribute at least that amount. After all, that is free money; or another way to look at it, you are immediately doubling your money.

Do not take money out of your retirement account, until you retire. Even then, use it very conservatively and wisely.

Usually retirement advisers say if you use 5% of your retirement annually, you will never run out. Start investing now, because that means you will need about 20 times your annual salary. But, if you can’t make that much, still invest as much as you can.

If you are pastor or on staff at a Southern Baptist Church, make sure you have a retirement account with GuideStone Financial Resources, SBC. Some churches, and God bless the ones who do, contribute themselves, apart from the pastor’s salary, to the pastor’s retirement account at GuideStone. If you pastor one of the many churches that do not contribute to their pastor’s retirement, have the church take out 10% of your salary, or more, and send it to your GuideStone Retirement. When you get a raise, put all or some of that raise into your retirement.

One big advantage to having your church send your retirement to GuideStone, is that if you don’t see it, you don’t miss it. This is easier than getting your paycheck, and then having to take 5% or 10% out of it to send to your retirement.

Put your GuideStone Retirement into a good stock market fund that has the potential to significantly grow over time. Something like the Equity Index Fund that generally follows the S&P 500. And remember, some years it will make 10%, some years 1% or worse. But, it will grow over time. Put it in a “safe fund,” and you risk not making significant interest rates; so there is “risk” either way.

This will not make you rich over night, but it will slowly make you financially secure. And think what you can do for the Lord and for others when you are financially secure.

A good rule of thumb is to live on 80% of your income. Give 10% (the tithe) to your church. Put 10% in your retirement. The sooner you start the better. You will be surprised how your retirement will grow over the years.

A good place to start educating yourself about money management is with “The Money Answer Book” by Dave Ransey. I don’t agree with him on every point, but he has some very good basic information. This is also a good birthday or Christmas gift for teenagers and young adults.

GuideStone can give you some great information. Their number is 800/262-0511. Their website is guidestone.org. They even have personal investment accounts, kind of like a bank savings account, where you can invest money in the stock market with them. Of course, it is not federally insured. And, of course, there are other investment companies. I’m just more familiar with GuideStone.

The President and CEO of GuideStone, Dr. O. S. Hawkins, is an outstanding pastor and preacher. Hawkins has published a number of books. Every preacher should get them. His most recent, "The Daniel Code."  It is available wherever books are sold.

Do what I say about investing, and if you end up with too much money in retirement, give me a call.

Objections:
“Jesus is coming soon and I will not need a retirement.”
I believe in the Rapture. I believe in the imminent return of Jesus Christ. I also believe the old saying, Live like Jesus is going to return tomorrow; plan and prepare like He will not return for a hundred years.

“There are ministries that need my retirement money now.”
There will also be ministries that need your giving when you retire. If you don’t save, you will have nothing to give. Also, you may want to include good Christian ministries in your Last Will and Testament. Speaking of a Will, make absolutely sure you have the original Will. A copy may not be accepted by a judge. Make sure your heirs know where the original is.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional financial adviser; I’m just trying to share a little of what I’ve learned. I’m especially trying to help the young preachers. But, don’t sue me if you are unhappy with your investment! Get sound advice from the professionals. Get documentation of your financial dealing, and beware of con men.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 10, AD 2016.

Articles:
The Christian Work Ethic
Quotes by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Baptists on Tithing

More articles in lower right margin.  

"Pokemon Go" and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. -Matthew 13:44

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) has long been known for evangelism and missions. Now it may become known for combining Pokemon and evangelism.

From a Baptist Press Article:

Southwestern set off 80 Pokémon "lures" over a two-hour period, drawing roughly 200 people from the community, reflecting Jesus' declaration in Matthew 4:19 that His followers be "fishers of men." Southwesterners engaged the lost with the Gospel and, as a result, six Pokémon players professed faith in Christ.

"Unlike any other time that we have done outreach in either the community or any type of mission trip, this was the rare opportunity where we didn't have to go find people, but they were coming to us," said Joshua Clayton, a master of divinity student who organized the event "to seize the moment and strategically utilize the game for evangelism."

A Gospel tract produced specifically for the event by Southwestern stated, "Hello, Pokémon trainers! You think hunting for Pokémon is exciting? What if you were to find out that you may have just stumbled upon the greatest treasure ever known?"

[SWBTS student Mark] Becker told them about the parable of the treasure in the field from Matthew 13:44 in which a man sold all he had in order to buy a field containing buried treasure, "because what he was getting was so much better."

Becker compared it to trading an entire Pokémon deck for a Magikarp -- a rare Pokémon -- to show that what is lost is nothing compared to what is gained, [Heather] Mentz said. "He told them that [the apostle] Paul said everything was rubbish compared to knowing Christ, and I think they could tell by our excitement and expressions when talking that we meant everything we were saying."

Evangelism instructor Brandon Kiesling, who coordinated Southwestern's evangelism teams, noted, "When there are so many people involved with something like [Pokémon], you can't miss the opportunity to use it for good in some way especially when the people come to us. Why wouldn't you [seize that opportunity]?"

Read the entire story:

http://www.bpnews.net/47281/pokmon-go-party-draws-6-gamers-to-christ

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 2, AD 2016.

See other articles in lower right margin.  

Before Rosa Parks There Was Ida B. Wells

Rosa Parks is a famous Civil Rights leader. In 1955 when the white section of the bus was filled, Rosa refused to give up her seat in the colored section for a white person. But 71 years before Rosa Parks, there was Ida B. Wells.

Ida B. Wells (AD 1862-1931) was an African-American born into slavery. She was outspoken in defending the rights of black folks and spoke strongly against lynching. Active in the Republican Party, she lived in Memphis, Tennessee and later in Chicago, Illinois.

On May 4, 1884 Ida Wells had a first-class train ticket. The train conductor ordered her to give up her first-class seat and move to an already crowded smoking car. Wells refused the order. Finally the conductor and two others dragged her out of the car.

Wells hired a lawyer and sued the railroad. She wrote a news article giving wide publicity to her ordeal. Her lawyer was paid off by the railroad, so she hired another. She won her case and was granted $500. Later, however, her win was reversed by the Tennessee Supreme Court and she was ordered to pay court costs. Ida lamented, “Is there no justice in this land for us?”

Ida B. Wells continued her activism. She was a firm believer in the Second Amendment and offered the following advice to oppressed blacks.

“The lesson this teaches and which every Afro-American should ponder well, is that a Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every black home, and it should be used for that protection which the law refuses to give. When the white man who is always the aggressor knows he runs as great a risk of biting the dust every time his Afro-American victim does, he will have greater respect for Afro-American life. The more the Afro-American yields and cringes and begs, the more he has to do so, the more he is insulted, outraged and lynched.” -Ida B. Wells, Southern Lynch Law in All Its Phases; 1892.

A Winchester rifle may be a good idea for anyone of any race who desires to protect his family.

So, the next time you hear of Rosa Parks, remember 71 years before her, was the Civil Rights leader, Ida B. Wells.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, July 26, AD 2016.

Articles:
Black Lives Matter; All Lives Matter
Gun Control

Other Articles in lower right margin.

Quotes on Liberty, America

And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. -Leviticus 25:10

And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts. -Psalm 119:45

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed. -Luke 4:18

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. -2 Corinthians 3:17

*******

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” -Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, AD 1776.

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” -Last sentence in American Declaration of Independence, 1776.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. -First Amendment to the United States Constitution

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. -Second Amendment to the United States Constitution

“Freedom is not free.” -Colonel Walter Hitchcock

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” -President Ronald Reagan

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” -President Abraham Lincoln

“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” -President George Washington

“I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free... so other people would be also free.” -Rosa Parks

“But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint.” -Edmund Burke

“If you want total security, go to prison. There you're fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking... is freedom.” -President Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.” -Patrick Henry

“Where you have the most armed citizens in America, you have the lowest violent crime rate. Where you have the worst gun control, you have the highest crime rate.” -Ted Nugent

“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” -Elmer Davis

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, July 4, AD 2016.

Up Fool Hill, by J. B. Gambrell

J. B. Gambrell

 

“You are fighting the devil for a soul, and you can’t afford to be impatient, or give way to anger, when your fool boy takes an extra flounce.” -J. B. Gambrell.

J. B. Gambrell (AD 1841-1921) was a pastor, editor, seminary professor, and president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Born in South Carolina, he ministered in Georgia, Mississippi and Texas. A veteran of the Civil War, he was a scout for General Robert E. Lee and fought at Gettysburg. During the war he married Mary T. Corbell; they eventually had nine children. He was president of Mercer University. Gambrell was editor of the Mississippi Baptist Record and the Texas Baptist Standard and taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX. James Bruton Gambrell was elected SBC president in 1917.

While a student at East Texas Baptist University, I had the honor of serving as president of the J. B. Gambrell Society, their ministerial organization.

Following is an article written by J. B. Gambrell.


Up Fool Hill
Fool Hill lies just where the undulating lowlands of boyhood rise sharply up to the highlands of manhood. It is climbed only by big boys and the big boy is an institution in this world. He is, indeed, a series of personalities in one extraordinary combination. The only certain thing about him is his uncertainty. Like a spit-devil, he is loaded, and will go off with a spark, but just which way he will go is an unknown and an unknowable thing. But the chances are that he will go zigzag, and whichever way he does go you can trace him by the sparks.

When you notice the boy feeling of his upper lip, and a suspicion of something slightly darker than the skin appears, you may begin then to look sharp. The boy has come to the foot of fool hill, and he will begin very soon to climb. The great problem is to get him up the hill in good repair. That done, you have blessed the world with a man.

Big boys are nearly certain to have the big-head. This is no bad sign. It is an inward sense of power, without the wisdom of discipline. Our boy entering the fool age is a caution. His voice is now fine and splitting, now coarse and grating. He begins a sentence coarse and ends fine, or fine and ends coarse. He is rank and sets digging to the world. All his judgments are pronounced and final. There is nothing he cannot decide instanter. He knows instantly and by intuition who is the greatest lawyer in the whole country, if he is a reading boy, or the best doctor. He can tell you who will be the next governor or anything else politicians are so anxious to know. He is authority on prize-fights, or cards, or anything else he knows nothing about. And when he pronounces on anything he has spoken. The governor is “Dick” somebody, and the supreme judge is “Tom.” And, by the way, he often differs with these and other dignitaries. He sings in unearthly strains, with tendencies to the pathetic and the savage all in a breath.

With the big boy there is nothing medium. He uses adjectives freely and always in the superlative. He sees things in strong colors, for he is in the flood of passion. Fight! Yes, fight anything and on the shortest notice. He ought to fight to prove himself, so he feels. About this time his mind undergoes some radical changes. he wonders at the dullness and contrariness of his parents. It is a constant worry to him that he can’t manage his father without a world of trouble, and he wonders what is the matter with “the old man” anyhow. Churches and Sunday schools are too dull for him, and the preacher is just nowhere. He can give him any number of pointers on theology and preaching.

Rushing on and into everything like mad, he stops short and bewails the coldness of his unfriendly world. Now he has more “dear friends” than he can shake a stick at; now he feels that he has not a friend in the world. He wants sympathy, while he tries the patience of everybody who has anything to do with him.

Such is the boy in the fool age. The great question is, what to do with him. He is climbing “fool hill” now, and the road is bad. Father, mother and friends are all anxious and sometimes vexed. Homes are deprived of all their peace by this great double-action marplot. But the question will not down. What shall we do with him? If he is turned loose now, he will be a wild engine on the track smashing things. If he is not handled wisely there will be a catastrophe. The ever-recurring question is: What shall be done with the big boy climbing fool hill? Often the impulse is to let the fool go. But that will not do. He is now like a green apple - sour, puckerish and unwholesome; but, like the apple, if we can save him, he will ripen into something good. We must save him. Saints and angels, help us to save this this human ship in the storm, freighted with father’s, mother’s, sister’s, brother’s love, and with the infinite wealth of an immortal nature! We must save him for himself, his loved ones and his country.

The chances for saving him will depend mainly on what has been done for him before he struck fool hill. If, from infancy, he has been taught to revere sacred things, if he has been taught subjection to authority, if his mind has been stored with scripture texts, with noble poems, and recollections of the pure, the sweet, the good, you have in him the saving elements. We must never forget that in the final analysis every person saves or loses himself, no matter what influences help or hinder. A well-taught boy may climb this dubious hill without a bobble, but if the new life gains the temporary lead the chances are that the enduring good elements will reassert themselves and become paramount. Hence the transcendent importance of ballasting this ship betimes, before the storm sets in. Noble ambitions early planted and carefully nurtured are of great importance. During this period of trial, great wisdom and tact are needed. There must be a gradual lengthening of the ropes. If you tie this mustang up too tight he will break the rope, and maybe break his neck. It often happens that more can be done by indirection than otherwise. Some good woman, other than the boy’s mother, may be a savior to him.

He feels his great importance, and you must recognize him. It is just here that the churches have failed and the saloons have succeeded. Show this embryonic governor that you recognize his parts and call on him for service. The harder the service the better he will like it. Get in with him, and do not be too critical, but pass his imperfections by. He will be nearly everything, but never mind; he only sees things large and sees them double and mixed, being now partly boy and partly man, and seeing with two sets of eyes.

You are fighting the devil for a soul, and you can’t afford to be impatient, or give way to anger, when your fool boy takes an extra flounce. When he gets on a bad bent, give line, as the fisherman does when there is a hundred-pound tarpon at the other end of the line, but not too much. And remember all the while that time and heaven are on your side. With age comes discretion. Once up fool hill the road stretches away ever smoother and better to the pearly gates.

Our big boy is among us. His folly breaks into dudishness. He is an unturned cake, but likely there is good substance in him. He is worth cooking. If you see him on the street, take him by the hand and say a good word to him. His mother will be glad of it. Look him up and ask him to your house. Reach after his heart, for he has one. Two worlds are interested in that young fool, and underneath his folly there lies sleeping, maybe, a great preacher, teacher or other dignitary of the commonwealth.

-J. B. Gambrell, Parable And Precept, compiled by E. C. Routh, Fleming H. Revell Company; 1917. By the way, I purchased this book at the ETBC (now ETBU) Book Fair, 10-23-1977.

* Marplot - someone who interferes with a project or the plans of others.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 13, AD 2016.

Young Preachers - Finding a Place to Preach; Part 1
Random Advice to Pastors, Part 1
Wit And Wisdom Of My Dad
The Christian Work Ethic
More Articles in lower right margin. 


 

Why Abortion Is Wrong

1. Abortion kills a living human being.

  

2. All humans are made in the image of God. 

3. All human life is sacred and should be treated with respect.

4. Human life is not to be taken without just cause.

5. Abortion coarsens society. 

6. Abortion causes great harm to the mother, and often great harm to the father and the doctors and nurses who perform abortions.

Holy Scripture related to abortion
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 
-Genesis 1:27 NKJV

Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
-Psalm 100:3

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
-Psalm 127:3

13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
-Psalm 139:13-16

A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood. 
-Proverbs 6:17

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
And He who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who makes all things,
Who stretches out the heavens all alone,
Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;
-Isaiah 44:24

“Listen, O coastlands, to Me,
And take heed, you peoples from afar!
The LORD has called Me from the womb;
From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.
-Isaiah 49:1

4 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
5 “ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
-Jeremiah 1:4-5

41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 
-Luke 1:41, 44

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 
-1 Corinthians 6:19-20

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace. 
-Galatians 1:15

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, April 6, AD 2016. 

Why Wait?
Adrian Rogers on Alcohol, Drinking, Wine 

More articles in lower right margin.

 

The Final Choice, by Evangelist Gipsy Smith

The Final Choice
A sermon by Gipsy Smith (AD 1860-1947). 

“And as he reasoned of righteousness and temperance (or, as the Revised Version has it, ‘self-control’) and judgment to come, Felix trembled (or, was terrified), and answered, Go thy way for this time: when I have a convenient season (and please note the little word ‘more’ which you so often put in when you quote this verse is not in the verse at all: it is often quoted, ‘When I have a more convenient season’; the word ‘more’ is not there) - when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. -Acts 24:25

This is a wonderful picture. I wish I could paint it. Three people - one God’s prophet, God’s messenger, the other two a man and a woman who were living a very sinful life. Paul is in prison, awaiting his trial, and these two want some new excitement, something to amuse and something to entertain. Time, though they live in sin, hangs heavily. They are spending their money on that which is not bread, and their labour for that which satisfieth not, and like the man of whom we read that longed for some new pleasure and offered a reward to anybody who would invent one, these two want something to pass away the time, and so they send for God’s prophet that he may entertain them. Says the verse that precedes this one, “He sent for Paul and heard him concerning faith in Christ.”

And it needs courage to preach to one man, or to two people. There are those who can preach to the crowd. It takes a man with the vision of the Cross to preach to two people; to see that a little child may be a nation; and when we have the right spirit we shall see in one person something worth preaching to. If you are sent to preach the truth, you must be unsparing and faithful, you must declare the whole counsel of God. It takes courage to preach to the man who sits in a high position, when he is close to you, when he is in his own house and you are sitting at his table, or in his own room face to face.

That was the picture. There sat Drusilla, there sat Felix, and here stood Paul, and he may have had the chains on him, the chains that told of suffering for Christ’s sake. Paul never had a better chance than then of making a friend of one who would help him when the trial came on. His enemies were outside, his accusers were away. Those who were thirsting for his blood were not in this little, quiet meeting amongst the three. If he will only flatter, if he will only congratulate instead of expostulate, if he will fawn upon Felix and toady to him, if he will compromise he may capture this man at any rate, and he will have a friend at court when the day of trial comes.

But listen, Paul was not made of that material. He could suffer, he could die, but he could not sin, he could not trim. His message was burning in his very soul, his message had come down to him as “Thus saith the Lord.” And he seemed to take in the whole situation, and to realize that this was his only chance of dealing personally, pointedly, piercingly with this sinner in front of him and the other sinner beside him.

And so he reasoned - of the Cross? Not to begin with. Of the shed blood? Not to begin with. Did he preach from this text, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son”? Not to begin with. Did he say, “He that believeth on the Son shall be saved”? No. He reasoned of righteousness, he talked about God’s hatred for sin, and he made sin appear sin.

He did not excuse sin; he meant Felix to see and feel the awfulness of his own sin. He reasoned of rightness, wholeness, Godlikeness, purity. He brought him up to face the blazing light and the scorching presence of God’s purity. He talked of righteousness. I do not think that that side of the truth in these days is enforced as it ought to be. We have preached the love of God till some are lovesick. You know God’s love; what you need to be told, and what I mean to tell you before I get through, is that God hates sin as much today as when Christ hung on the nails to put it away, and that he does not look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.

He reasoned of righteousness to a man who was unrighteous. He talked about self-control - temperance - to the man who was intemperate, and whose passion was running wild. The man within was riot. His whole being was in a state of anarchy, a rebel.

He talked of righteousness, judgment; and as I have tried to enforce before, religion that honours God is right-doing, walking straight, holding a constant witness to the cleansing power of the precious blood. It is not hunting up meetings and preachers and going to conventions, taking your pencils and writing down in little notebooks pretty little sayings, beautiful little extracts, pretty thoughts. It is letting them blaze in your life when the convention is over, when the meeting is past, when the Sunday is gone, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, three hundred and sixty-five days in the year all aglow, warm with holiness unto the Lord.

Righteousness - “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but rightness - rightness.” It is turning from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God. It is the wicked man forsaking his wickedness in conformity to the will of God. Righteousness - not going to church, nor being christened, or confirmed, or baptized, or taking communion. All that will fall into the proper place, but first of all righteousness, rightness, right-relationship with heaven, readjustment with God, putting me in my right place with God, and God in His right place in me and in all my concerns.

What we want is sin dethroned, Christ honoured and Christ glorified not only among the angels, not only among the saints who march around the steps of the throne, not only among those who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, and are singing the song of Moses and the Lamb, but down here in the city, in your home, in your workshop, in your business - rightness, righteousness in your yard measure, righteousness in your weights and scales, righteousness in your ledger; to handle your ledger with as much religious feeling and fervour as you take your seat in the pew on Sundays and handle the communion cup - this is what the gospel means.

I tell you this is a mighty, sweeping gospel. It is an unsparing gospel where sin is concerned. “He reasoned of righteousness, of temperance, and of judgment” - judgment, don’t forget it, judgment here and judgment yonder. Do not forget that “God hath appointed a day in which He will judge the world.” Do not forget that there is a great white throne, and that we will have to stand before it. Do not forget that we shall stand as we are and not as we seem to be, and that we will have to give an account of the deeds done in the body. And do not forget that it will not be a mock judgment, it will be a righteous judgment, that God will be the judge, and that He will render to every many according as his work shall be.

Oh, to have listened to this preacher, to have heard Paul as he waxed fiery, flaming as he talked of righteousness and of judgment! Oh, to have seen the flash in his eye, and the pointed finger and the erect figure as he shook and the chains rattled, while he lifted as high as he could that hand, pointing to the great white throne! Oh, to have seen him as he pealed out the truth upon that man like a mighty thunder-clap into his conscience and into his brain until he shook, until the seat shook on which he sat, until he clutched it and said,

“Hold! That will do, Paul. I know it is true, I have heard as much as I can carry, I have got as much as I can bear; that will do. Go back to the dungeon. It is not convenient. I know it all, I feel it all; I know what I ought to do. My soul, my conscience, my better self, my illuminated judgment, everything - God the Spirit, your word and your presence, and these clanking chains - tells me what I ought to be and what I ought to do, but it is not convenient. When it is convenient I will send for thee.”

Cannot you hear him marching down that corridor? Cannot you hear the rattle of those chains? And don’t you hear the slamming of the door that shuts the old saint up - glorious old Paul - in that dungeon for Christ’s sake?

Listen. The slamming of that door is but the echo of another door which closed itself forever against these two when Paul was ordered off. When he went their chance went with him. Oh, how different the story might have read! How blessedly it might have ended! How triumphantly it ought to have ended! But the man hugged his sins and would not yield.

Now why did not Felix become a Christian? He might have been an apostle, he might have been an evangelist, he might have written an epistle. It takes a saint to do that. He might have left a message which would have blessed the world, he might have left a decision that would have been an inspiration for all time. But he went the other way. He decided against Paul and Paul’s Christ.

And surely if any man in the world ever had a fair chance of salvation Felix had. With the world shut out and with that great soul-winner in front of him, with nobody to interrupt, nobody to come between, nobody but Paul and His Master facing him and the plan of salvation in front of him, and the heavens opening above him, and the light streaming down upon him and God speaking through His saint, surely no man ever had a better chance of life eternal than this man.

Surely, my brother, my sister, you cannot look in the face of God one day and say, “I should have been a Christian if I had an opportunity.” You cannot say that because you have this blessed hour in which to yield to God. If you never had a chance before you have one now, and if you never had anybody to talk to you about these things you have some one now. You cannot plead at the great white throne that you never had a chance. Felix cannot.

Surely no man ever had a better preacher than Paul, the prince of preachers. There was no trimming about Paul. There was no stooping to suit his people. He was not afraid of the man in the chariot and he did not despise the man in the gutter. Why, Paul, glorious old Paul, he said himself, “I determined to know nothing among you save Christ and Him crucified.” There was no mongrel gospel with Paul. There was no water and milk gospel with Paul. It was the pure, unadulterated, unchanging, living message.

Surely you cannot say when you get to the white throne, if you have not a wedding garment on, you cannot say, “Well, if I had only heard the pure gospel I should have been saved”? You cannot say that; you have had it from the pulpit, you have had it from the lips of your own ministers, you have heard it till you can go to sleep under it. You are hardened by the process of listening to it. For this mighty gospel, what it does not soften and weld, it hardens. It is the savour of life or of death. You know it, and you are familiar with it. You have had the gospel as faithfully as ever Paul preached it.

Surely this man might have been saved, for he was convicted. He felt more than he wanted to feel. He trembled, but, mark this - he trembled but the woman did not. That is striking.

I have often seen two people sit together under the same sermon, and I have seen one shake and tremble and weep beneath the power of God, and I have seen the other rebellious and hard and hindering; I have seen one want to come, and I have seen the other pull him back. When a woman does set herself against Christ, she does. I have not been an evangelist for a quarter of a century, without finding out that when a woman does come to Christ, she comes all the way.

I believe this man would have been saved, yea, I know he would, but for that woman. Felix trembled; she did not. He felt, he was convicted, he was awake, he knew, he was concerned, he was wrought upon.

Haven’t you been there? Is not your conscience, my sister, my brother, with me at this moment? Don’t you feel your sin; don’t you see something of its wickedness; don’t you realize something of its damning power; don’t you see how it is spoiling you, how it is robbing you of your manhood; don’t you see how your life is embittered; don’t you see how it is leading you away from God and rightness? Don’t you see it? I know you do. That is the Spirit at work within you. Your conscience and your judgment are bearing me witness.

Don’t you see that you can get as far as trembling conviction, and yet stop and refuse to take the decisive step? Why do you not yield? I want to push that question till I get an answer.

Why didn’t Felix surrender? If he heard the gospel from the lips of that faithful man and felt its awful import, if that stupendous opportunity was his in which he might have built a throne, why did he take the dungeon? If the hour was his in which he might have set an anthem ringing around the throne, why did he forge the chain? If the hour was his in which he might have decked the brow of Emmanuel, why, in the name of everything that is good, did he grovel in the dust and allow hell to drive over him its chariots and to grind him to powder? Why? Don’t you see the damning effects, the deluding effects, the destroying effects of sin?

The reason is given in one word - sin, his own sin. Beside him sat another man’s wife with whom he was living. Are you surprised that Paul talked of righteousness? How could he talk of anything else? Could God smile on that? He talked of righteousness. I should think so. And Felix knew if he became a Christian that woman must go home to her husband; at any rate, she must go from him. He knew that, and he looked at her, and in that look he lost his soul. He said, “No, it is not convenient. When it is I will call for thee.” But he never did, he never had another chance.

Samson lost his strength through a woman. The daughter of Herodias danced Herod into the pit. Drusilla was the chain that bound this man for time and for eternity. What is binding you? What is fettering you? What is getting you by the heart and life? What has gripped you in its clutch? What is it? You know. You know. Who is it? You know, and God knows. The truth will out some day.

The truth will out, for every man has some special sin. It may not be lust for a woman, but it may be lust for gold, it may be lust for drink, it may be appetite in another form, it may be ambition, which is just as damning. What is it?

Every woman has her own sin. It may not be lust for a man, but it is lust of some sort, and there are some women who will sell their souls and the souls of their children for dress and trinkets. May God save you.

Listen - it is a choice between sin and holiness. It is a tremendous choice, but there can be no two opinions about it, if you look at it wisely and well. It is a choice between the low and the high, the earthly and the heavenly, time and eternity, the perishable and the imperishable, the tinsel and the real gold, the passing moment and the heaven that awaits those who will only obey.

Men and women, sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty, rise to the occasion. Don’t mingle for yourselves the bitter drink, don’t fly in the face of your eternal interests. Don’t fight against God. Don’t hug your sin. Don’t play the fool - don’t. God wants to save you, and He will save you. He would have saved that man if he had come, but he did not, and because he did not God could not. “Ye will not come unto Me that ye might have life.” “How often would I have gathered you under My wing,…and ye would not.”

It is not God’s fault. If a man goes to hell - whatever hell may mean, I pray you may never find out, but whatever hell is - I do not know - but whatever it is, if a man goes there, it is because he will not accept God’s remedy. You cannot charge God with your destruction; you must charge it home to your own will in the choice of evil in your own wicked, rebellious God-dishonouring, God-hating, Christ-rejecting life; you must charge yourself.

I cannot hear my Lord libelled without protest. Some of you say, “Do you think God is a God of love, to send a man to hell?” God does not send him there; he sends himself. You don’t go to hell because you are a sinner, but because you refuse to walk over the bridge that God has built and made it possible for you to go the other way. You refuse God’s grace; you refuse the way of salvation.

God wants to save you from your sin, and he will save you now if you will submit. Will you give up your sin? You don’t want me to name your sin. If I did know it I would hold it before you till you loathed it; I would make you face it; I would hold it in front of you till you ran away from it; I would make you see your own sin, in spite of yourself, were it in my power till you yielded and gave yourself wholly to Jesus Christ.

My brother, my sister, let this be a time of real surrender, when you turn from the wicked thing, the thing that God hates in your life, the thing that has made you all you are, the thing that is destroying you day by day. Turn from that, and turn from it now, and you will hear Him say to you as you come, though your coming is faltering, though it is weak, if it is coming, if it is turning from sin, if it is yielding to God your heart, your life, all there is, with no reservation, the whole being, absolute, entire, if it is a real surrender, you will hear Him say, “Thy sins are forgiven thee”; and if your ears were a little keener, then you would hear the angels singing, “The dead is alive, and the lost is found.”

-Evangelist Gipsy Smith (sometimes spelled Gypsy Smith)
From the book - As Jesus Passed By and Other Addresses by Gipsy Smith, Seventeenth Edition, Fleming H. Revell Company, Chicago; 1905. (The only editing I’ve done is to break it up into more paragraphs for easier reading. -DRB)

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 29, AD 2016.

Bob Jones, Sr. on Wine, Alcohol, Christian Drinking
Pastors, Salaries, Parsonages - Christmas Evans
B. H. Carroll on Inspiration of Bible
John R. Rice and KJV Only
L. R. Scarborough on Soul-Winning
Random Advice to Pastors, Part 1

More articles in lower right margin. 

 

Steve Gaines Nominated, SBC President

Steve Gaines, pastor of the historic Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tennessee, is to be nominated for president at this year’s annual Southern Baptist Convention. Johnny Hunt, past SBC president, has announced he will nominate Gaines. 
Previously Bellevue pastors R. G. Lee, Ramsey Pollard, and Adrian Rogers have served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. All have been conservative, evangelistic, effective preachers of God’s Word.

Steve Gaines was born in Corinth, Mississippi. His is married to Donna and they have four children. A graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div & Ph.D.), he has served as pastor in Alabama, Texas, Tennessee. The author of several books, including Share Jesus Like It Matters, Dr. Gaines has pastored Bellevue Baptist Church for eleven years.

Below is the Baptist Press article:

Steve Gaines to be SBC president nomineeby David Roach,

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Tennessee pastor Steve Gaines will be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Georgia pastor Johnny Hunt announced today (March 9).

"When Steve Gaines shared his prayer journey he and [his wife] Donna had traveled, I was touched by his clear call to allow himself to be nominated," Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Georgia, wrote in a news release stating his intention to nominate Gaines during the SBC annual meeting June 14-15 in St. Louis.

"Steve struggled with this nomination as he has always believed this office should seek the man," Hunt continued. "With such a passionate desire for spiritual revival in our churches and nation, and knowing him to be a man of deep intense prayer, it brings joy to my heart to nominate Dr. Gaines."

During the 11 years Gaines has pastored the Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., the congregation has averaged 481 baptisms per year, according to the SBC's Annual Church Profile. Previously, he pastored churches in Alabama, Tennessee and Texas.

Bellevue's finance committee is recommending that the congregation give $1 million during its 2016-17 church year through the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists' unified channel for funding state- and SBC-level missions and ministries. That will total approximately 4.6 percent of undesignated receipts, the church told Baptist Press.

As of April 1, 2012, Bellevue began forwarding all its CP giving through the Tennessee Baptist Convention, the church said. Previously, it forwarded approximately $200,000-$340,000 annually in CP through the TBC, according to ACP data, and designated about twice that amount to be forwarded to the SBC Executive Committee for distribution according to the CP allocation formula, the church said.

The shift in giving methods resulted in an increase from giving 1.3 percent of undesignated receipts through CP in 2011 to 2.6 percent in 2012, according to ACP reports. Bellevue increased that percentage to 3.5 in 2013 and 3.8 in 2014. Between 2011 and 2016, the church has increased its CP giving by 278 percent, according to BP's calculations.

The church's Great Commission Giving totaled approximately $2.5 million over the past two years and is anticipated to be $1.3 million (6 percent of undesignated receipts) for the congregation's 2016-17 church year, which begins April 1, Hunt said. Great Commission Giving is a category of giving established by SBC action in 2011 that encompasses giving through CP as well as direct gifts to SBC entities, associational giving and giving to state convention ministries.

Hunt said Bellevue has collaborated with the International Mission Board to lead evangelism training in 34 countries since 2007 and "at the request of the IMB ... has been a strategy church for Jinotega, Nicaragua, since 2007." The church also reported a $150,000 gift to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions last year and anticipated an equal gift for 2016.

Bellevue is partnering with the North American Mission Board to plant churches in the Northwest and has planted 10 churches in other areas, including work with Native Americans in three locations, Hunt said.

Total missions giving for next year is anticipated at 18 percent of Bellevue's undesignated receipts, the church reported, and includes the "Bellevue Loves Memphis" initiative, a service evangelism campaign launched by Gaines in 2007.

Through Bellevue Loves Memphis, Hunt wrote, "the church has demonstrated love for their city through meeting practical needs as a platform from which to share the Gospel. Thus far, they have held 33 workdays. Their volunteers numbering 30,000 have served 106,505 'man hours' on 945 projects resulting in 510 professions of faith."

Gaines has served as a member of the SBC Committee on Nominations, a trustee of LifeWay Christian Resources, a member of the committee that proposed a revision of the Baptist Faith and Message in 2000 and chairman of the SBC Resolutions Committee. He preached the SBC convention sermon in 2004 and served as SBC Pastors' Conference president in 2005.

Gaines told BP, "I would like to continue [current SBC president] Dr. [Ronnie] Floyd's emphasis on seeking God for a spiritual awakening and revival. ... I've been praying for an awakening for a long time, and that's really my heart. I want the manifest presence of God in our churches and also in our denomination.

"... I also believe that we've got a real problem with our baptisms," Gaines said. "We need to get back to personal evangelism and soul winning."

Gaines' presidential nomination is the second to be announced for the SBC annual meeting. North Carolina pastor J.D. Greear's nomination was announced March 2.

Gaines is married to Donna and has four children and nine grandchildren. He holds master of divinity and doctor of philosophy degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

The BP article:
http://bpnews.net/46461/steve-gaines-to-be-sbc-president-nominee

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 21, AD 2016. 

Robert G. Lee On Calvinism
Adrian Rogers on "Wit & Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow"
Adrian Rogers on Alcohol, Drinking, Wine
Adrian Rogers on Predestination, Calvinism

Other articles in lower right margin. 
 

Adrian Rogers on Alcohol, Drinking, Wine

Adrian Rogers (AD 1931-2005) was the well-known pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tennessee. He was three times elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention and was a leader in the SBC Conservative Resurgence. His radio, TV, book ministry has reached around the world and continues today. He is one of the best for young, and not so young preachers, to learn from today. Get his books and listen to his sermons. 

What did Adrian Rogers believe about alcohol, drinking, wine? 
Some of his quotes are below. 

“The most dangerous drug in America is beverage alcohol. Number one because of it’s acceptance. Number two, because of it’s availability. Number three, because of the effect that it has upon our hearts and our lives and the misery that it brings.” 

“The Bible uses the word wine in two difference senses. The word wine may mean that which may intoxicate you, or it may mean that which may not intoxicate you. The word wine in the Bible may refer to that which is fermented, or that which is not fermented; that which has alcoholic content or that which does not have alcoholic content.”

“God says not to look on it, but to the contrary, we are to shun it when it is fermented (Proverbs 23:31).”

“When a bunch of grapes are hanging on the vine, it’s called wine (Isaiah 65:8).”

“They knew how to check the fermentation of grape juice.”

On the Old Testament Hebrew word for wine, “Yayin may mean that which intoxicates, or that which does not intoxicate (Isaiah 16:10; Proverbs 20:1).”
“The word yayin is a generic word.”  

“You are going to have to find out from the context, where the Bible says wine, whether it means that which is intoxicating or whether it isn’t.”

On the New Testament Greek word for wine, oinos. “That too may mean that which is intoxicating or that which is not intoxicating.”

“When you read the word wine in the New Testament, you can only know by the context whether or not it means that which can make you drunk. It does not always mean that which will make you drunk. It frequently means that which is not intoxicating.”

“Did Jesus turn water into wine? Jesus turned water into oinos. Is that the kind of drink that would make a person drunk? Of course not!”
“Do you think Jesus had anything to do with making people drunk? If you do, you don’t know the Jesus that I know.”

“Didn’t Jesus serve wine at the Lord’s Supper? No!”

“Time magazine said alcohol is involved in one half of all murders.”

“Have you ever stopped to think what the word intoxicated means? It means you have toxins put in.”
“When a man is intoxicated he has poisoned himself.”

“Liquor and immorality go together.”
“Liquor removes the inhibitions.” 

“Moderation is not the answer to the liquor problem, in most cases it’s the cause of it.”
“It is the moderate drinker that encourages other people to drink.” 
“You may be very surprised at who you may hurt with your ability to hold your liquor.”

“The position of a man, woman, boy or girl ought to be total abstinence.”
“If you don’t drink, don’t start!”   

“These Scriptures (Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-35) tell us, I believe plainly and clearly, that the Christian’s position, so far as beverage alcohol is concerned, is total abstinence.” -Adrian Rogers (AD 1931-2005), pastor, author, SBC president. lwf.org

These quotes come from Adrian P. Rogers sermon, The Battle of the Bottle, parts 1&2; Messages 1015 & 1016.  Available at:

Love Worth Finding Ministries
 P.O. Box 38300, Memphis, TN 38183
901/382-7900
lwf.org

Learn more and get more information on this biblical view of alcohol from the book:
Ancient Wine and the Bible: The Case for Abstinence
In this book Adrian Rogers and many others are quoted. You will also find a wealth of reference material and illustrations. 

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, February 29, AD 2016.

Note: Observe Substance Abuse Sunday, March 20, 2016.

More articles:
Wine for Your Stomach's Sake; 1 Timothy 5:23
The Problem With Drunk Preachers
Problem Drinking Outside The USA
Deuteronomy 14:26 - Does it Commend Alcohol?
Adrian Rogers on "Wit & Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow"
Adrian Rogers on Predestination, Calvinism
Why We Don't Use Alcohol For The Lord's Supper
Why Marijuana Should Remain Illegal
Ancient Wine Production and the Bible
Many more articles in lower right margin. 
  

Charles Ryrie: Christian Scholar, Author, Southern Baptist

Charles C. Ryrie (AD 1925-2016) lived to be four score and ten, was an outstanding Bible scholar, teacher, author, Southern Baptist. He taught for years at Dallas Theological Seminary and authored some 50 books. Multiplied thousands of preachers and Bible students are in his debt. Dr. Ryrie was an active member of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas and good friend of pastors W. A. Criswell, O. S. Hawkins, Mac Brunson, Robert Jeffress. 

He is perhaps best known for his Ryrie Study Bible, Basic Theology, and as a spokesman for Premillennialism (or Dispensationalism). Every pastor should have the Ryrie Study Bible as a reference.

On one of my fairly recent visits to SWBTS, Paige Patterson announced Charles Ryrie would be speaking in an upcoming chapel service. Wish I could have been there.

"If ever there lived a man whose life was immersed in the Bible it was Charles Ryrie. This is evident not only in the legacy he left in the Ryrie Study Bible, his amazing collection of rare and antique Bibles and books, but his passion to never stop studying even into his ninth decade of life.” -O. S. Hawkins, GuideStone. 

Read more at: 
 Study Bible scholar Charles Ryrie dies
http://bpnews.net/46335/study-bible-scholar-charles-ryrie-dies

Farewell Faithful Solider: A Tribute to Dr. Charles C. Ryrie
http://sbctoday.com/farewell-faithful-solider-a-tribute-to-dr-charles-c-ryrie/

“The Bible is the greatest of all books, to study it is the noblest of all pursuits, to understand it, the highest of all goals.” -Charles Ryrie

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, February 22, AD 2016.

Commentaries and Bible Study
Deuteronomy 14:26 - Does it Commend Alcohol?
Basic Baptist Doctrines / Beliefs

More articles in lower right margin.    

Christian Apologetics: A Reasoned Defense of Christianity

Has your Christian faith been challenged in the classroom, by the media, or by friends? 
Have you heard the Bible ridiculed? 
Seen Evangelical Christians accused of hate and bigotry? 
Need answers to the tough questions about the reliability of the Bible and about Christianity? 
You can find the answers in these books: 

 Christianity on Trial, by Mark Lanier, a successful trial lawyer.

I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, by Norman Geisler & Frank Turek.

Evidence that Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell. Josh is a former atheist and has spoken at numerous universities.

Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door, by Josh McDowell & Bob Hostetler. Short chapters designed for students. Good for teenagers through adults.

The Case For Christ, by Lee Strobel, a former atheist.
In Defense of the Bible, edited by Cowan & Wilder, B&H. 
Who Made God?, by Norman Geisler & Ravi Zacharias. 
Apologetics Study Bible, by Holman Publishers. 

Read the Bible itself to find out what it really teaches.
Good translations: NKJV; KJV; NASB; HCSB… 

Read these books and you will find the Bible and Christianity stand up well to skeptics and tough questions. Believers in Jesus Christ need not fear the false accusations against their faith.

Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you. -1 Peter 3:15

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, February 8, AD 2016.

Articles:

Valentines Day - The Bible on Love
Wine for Your Stomach's Sake; 1 Timothy 5:23
Brief History of SBC Conservative Resurgence
Adrian Rogers on Predestination, Calvinism
Small Texas Church Takes on a God-Sized Goal

More articles in lower right margin.    

Bilingual Bible And Other Christian Books

We have a new Spanish language Sunday School class meeting at our church. While we are an English speaking church, we have some attending our church who are bilingual, and some who only speak Spanish. 

If you want to learn Spanish, or at least a few Spanish words -
If you want to learn English, at least a little -
What better way to learn either language than with the Bible and Christian literature?  Books that have both Spanish and English side by side. 

I went to a LifeWay Store a time or two and spent some time on their Spanish language aisles. I wanted to get a few supplemental books for the Spanish Bible Class. Among other things I found the following.

Bilingual Bible, Version Reina-Valera 1960, New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers. On the same page one column is Spanish, the other column is English.

Down Through the Roof; Jesus sana a un Paralitico. Arch Books. The Bible story of the man being lowered down through the roof.
The Berenstain Bears; Los Osos Berenstain, Dios te ama!; God Loves You!, Living Lights. 
Each of the above has other children’s bilingual books in these series. 

There are also a number of Spanish language books by popular Christian writers.

I ordered the following books at LifeWay.
They are by Dr. Daniel Sanchez, professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. 
La Doctrina del Fin: La historia que cede el paso al orden eterno. 
Evangelio en el Rosario: Estudio Biblico de lost Misterios ed Cristo. 
Dr. Sanchez has authored other books as well, in both Spanish and English. 

LifeWay also has Sunday School Literature in Spanish. Our class is using, Estudios Biblicos Para La Vida.

Years ago a lady from Portugal began attending our church. I did some checking and ordered a Portuguese language Bible from a Bible Society. She had never seen a Portuguese Bible. Even though she spoke English, she was thrilled to see, as well as read, the Bible in her own native language.

Just today a bilingual lady was looking through some of these new books mentioned above. She said she had no idea they were available and thought they would be helpful to her and some in her family. She borrowed two of them.

So, just a reminder that you can get the Bible and other Christian literature in most any language today. It can also be an effective way to witness to a friend.

Check out bilingual Christian literature at LifeWay Christian Stores, and other Christian Bookstores in your area. If they don’t have it, they can order it.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, January 25, AD 2016.

Articles:
Adrian Rogers on "Wit & Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow"
Lord's Supper, Questions & Answers
Israel, May They Prosper Who Love You
More articles in lower right margin.   

Must A Preacher Know Greek And Hebrew?

Should a pastor, or any believer for that matter, study and be fluent in Greek and Hebrew, to really be able to study, understand, and teach the Bible?

Our Bible, God’s inspired, inerrant Word, originally was mostly written in Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament).
An English translation of the Bible is translated from Hebrew and Greek into our English language. Obviously the translators need to be Bible scholars fluent in the original biblical languages as well as English.

Clearly a knowledge of Greek and Hebrew would be a plus to anyone studying and teaching the Bible. It can open up new areas of fuller understanding. If you have the time and ability, by all means learn the biblical languages.

There are some areas where you will only be effective and respected if you have at least a basic knowledge of these languages. On the other hand, if you don’t know the languages, if it is a crucial point, you can rely on and quote those who do know Greek.

English translations are produced by some of the top scholars in Hebrew, Greek, and English. Therefore, when we study a good English translation, we are enjoying the fruit of their scholarly labor. We get much of the benefits of the original languages through their research and translation. Can they get it wrong? Yes. That is a good reason to sometimes consult a second or third English translation. We are privileged with the luxury of having multiple good English translations: KJV, NKJV (my favorite), NASB, HCSB, and others.

Just because you know Greek doesn’t mean you automatically have the corner on proper Bible interpretation. Even once you know exactly what a Bible verse says in Greek, there can still be more than one view. And, a Greek scholar can still be flat out wrong on a biblical issue. So, don’t be bullied by someone just because they know more Greek than you. Also, you can often find a Greek scholar that disagrees with the Greek scholar trying to bully you.

If you are fluent in biblical languages, don’t use it to excess in your preaching and teaching. Frankly, some preachers seem to want to show off their knowledge of Greek.
Unless it is a point that really makes a difference, most laymen are not too interested in how well you know Greek. Some get weary of hearing the Greek word of every word in a verse.

There is an old story of a pastor search committee who included two requirements for their next pastor. That he not know Greek and that he had never been to the Holy Land. A previous pastor had done both and talked of them excessively.

Greek and Hebrew word studies at times are interesting and instructive. But sometimes they can skew the truth. We do not necessarily consider the ancient root meaning of a particular word, every time we use that word. Maybe the biblical writers did not either.
For example, the origin of the English word “enthusiastic” comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “possessed by a god.” But when a preacher says we should be enthusiastic about a church program, I doubt he is saying we should be possessed by a pagan god. Rather, he is just using the common understanding of the word. He simply means we should “be excited” about the church program.

Often when you find out what a Bible verse says in Greek, you find it is the same thing as what your Bible translation said in English all along. And, that is the very purpose of a translation.
I’ve sometimes asked, do you know what John 3:16 says in Greek?” They usually get excited they are about to discover some new truth. I then answer, it says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Yes, that’s the jist of it in Greek!

You can do a competent study of Greek and Hebrew, even if you do not know the languages. Great Bible study books abound such as, Vines Word Studies, Young’s and Strong’s Concordances, A. T. Roberson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament, Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, Bible Commentaries, topical Bible study books.

Even a cursory knowledge of the biblical languages, though, can help you understand the differences in languages in general. Even a cursory knowledge of any second language can give you a better understanding of the original biblical languages, translation, transliteration.

Some preachers who know Greek are condescending toward those who don‘t know Greek. Yet, some of those same preachers who know Greek, do not know Hebrew, or only have a slight knowledge of it. Well, with that attitude, that preacher should never preach from the Old Testament until he is fluent in Hebrew.

A Greek scholar should never look down on a believer that does not know the biblical languages. Often, that humble believer may know more about a biblical passage than the scholar knows. And, the Greek scholar should show a healthy degree of humility. Perhaps we will all need a remedial course in Basic Bible when we reach Heaven’s shore.
I’ve always admired a Bible scholar who does not act like a scholar, and who can explain Bible truths so we all can understand.

Those who do not know the biblical languages should respect those who do. Theirs is a monumental accomplishment. Often they can reveal biblical truths of which others are unaware. Sometimes either side can keep us from doctrinal error.

I’ve sometimes wondered if a part of the spiritual gift of tongues is the ability some have to quickly and easily learn another human tongue or language. This would, of course, include Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek. The Apostle Paul would have known these languages and probably others and is likely to what he was referring (1 Corinthians 14:18) when he said “I speak with tongues (languages) more than you all.”

Some seem to just not have an aptitude for learning another language, yet they excel in other areas. Some will disagree, but you can be a very capable preacher and teacher of the Word of God without knowing much about Greek or Hebrew. It would not be difficult to name a long list of outstanding preachers, pastors, evangelists, missionaries who do not know Greek or Hebrew.

We would all be diminished if we had no Greek and Hebrew scholars. We would all be diminished if we got rid of all those ministers who are not fluent in the biblical languages.

Wherever you fit in the spectrum of biblical languages, may we all read, study, and hide God’s Word in our hearts. May we believe Holy Scripture, then put it into practice in our everyday lives.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, January 18, AD 2016.

Articles:
Random Advice to Pastors, Part 1
Commentaries and Bible Study
SCRIPTURE INDEX for Ancient Wine and the Bible

Other articles in lower right margin.

One Solitary Life

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in still another village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was 30. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He never traveled more than 200 miles from the place He was born. He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness.

He was only 33 when public opinion turned against Him. His friends deserted Him. He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. When He was dying, His executioners gambled for His clothing, the only property He had on earth. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the kindness of a friend. He rose from the dead.

Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race, the leader of mankind's progress. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on earth as much as that One Solitary Life.
-adapted from Dr James Allan Francis in “The Real Jesus and Other Sermons,” Judson Press, Philadelphia; 1926. 

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

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. -Matthew 1:21

Merry Christmas!
-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, December 17, AD 2015.  

Articles:
Alcohol and the Holidays
That Night, A Christmas Poem
10 Commandments for Christmas
More articles in lower right margin. 
 

Baptismal Regeneration; Is Baptism Necessary For Salvation? Part 2

Part of the confusion over Baptismal Regeneration is a failure to understand the meaning of baptism. Baptism is simply a picture of what happened to you when you believed in Jesus. In a sense, baptism is a funeral of who you used to be. When you go under the water it is a picture of dying to your old life of sin. When you are raised from the water it is a picture of you being resurrected to a new life in Christ. That is what happened to you when you trusted Jesus as your Savior. Baptism, of course, also pictures your belief that Jesus died for your sins and rose again, and your belief that our physical bodies will be raised at the resurrection. 

What about the Bible passages that seem to teach Baptismal Regeneration? That seem to teach you must believe and be baptized to be saved?

First, do not neglect the multitude of clear passages that say if you believe in Jesus Christ you will be saved (see previous article, part 1).

Now, let’s look at those verses some claim teach Baptismal Regeneration.

1. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. -Mark 16:16
Notice first, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” 

In New Testament times it was common that when one believed, if there was enough water, they would baptize them immediately. So belief and baptism often went together.

Now, back to, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.”
That is true. It is also true that he who believes and joins a church will be saved. It is even true that if he believes and buys a pickup truck he will be saved. 

Now notice the next phrase, “but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

It is very significant that it does not say if he believes and is not baptized he will be condemned; only, if he does not believe he will be condemned.

2. What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? -James 2:14
But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? -James 2:20
Someone may say, show me your faith. Well, God can see your faith, but others cannot. God can see your faith, but man can only see your faith by your works. If you truly believe, then good works will follow. If there are no good works, a man may have reason to doubt your faith. 

Always remember as well, verses like Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 4:5; etc.

3. There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. -1 Peter 3:21 (NKJV)
Many Baptismal Regenerationists only quote a small portion of this verse, “baptism doth also now save us,” (KJV). That is a strong argument, until the entire verse is considered. One of the basic rules of properly interpreting the Bible (hermeneutics), is to study the word, or phrase, or verse in context; what comes before and after it. 

This verse does not say baptism saves us or takes away our sins. It only says baptism is a type (or antitype, figure, symbol, picture) of our salvation. As mentioned previously, believer’s baptism by immersion is a picture of our salvation; a symbol of what happens to us when we trust Jesus as our Savior.

Notice also this verse says baptism is the answer of a good conscience toward God. In other words, we are commanded to be baptized. It is a good work. We are not saved by good works, we are saved by repentance and belief in Jesus. But after we believe, baptism gives us a good conscience because we are obeying and honoring God.

This verse even states baptism is, “not the removal of the filth of the flesh.” Rather than literally taking away our sins, baptism symbolically takes away our sins, a picture of what happened when we believed. Only Jesus can literally take away our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21).

4. Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” -John 3:5
Does born of water mean baptism? If it did, it would only mean so in a figurative way. However, it does not mean baptism. Every time you see the word water, that does not automatically refer to baptism. 

There are a couple of explanations. First, some believe born of water refers to physical birth, a water birth. This view says you must be born both physically (physical birth, born of the flesh) and spiritually (new birth, spiritual birth, salvation).

This view says Jesus explains “born of water and the Spirit” in the very next verse:

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. -John 3:6

Second, some believe born of water refers to the washing of the Word of God in salvation (John 3:5; Titus 3:5; 1 John 5:8).

Does the Word of God spiritually wash us? Yes.

That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word. -Ephesians 5:26

How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
-Psalm 119:9

And one aspect of salvation is that we are born again through God’s Word.

Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. -1 Peter 1:23

It should also be remembered that Jesus summed up the new birth in this same chapter in John in the well known verse,

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. -John 3:16

No mention here of baptism being a part of salvation. Rather simply believe in Jesus and you will not perish but have everlasting life.

5. Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” -Acts 2:38
The word “for” (Greek - eis) in this verse can also mean “because.” 

This verse could justly and easily be translated, “Let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ ‘because of’ the remission of sins.”

Do we ever use the word “for” in the sense of “because?” Yes we do.

For example,
“He was thrown in jail ‘for’ stealing a car.” 
He was not thrown in jail ‘so he could’ steal a car, rather, he was thrown in jail ‘because’ he stole a car.  

Note:  Compare Acts 2:38 with what Peter said in Acts 2:21; Acts 3:19; Acts 10:43; 1 Peter 1:9; 1 Peter 2:6.  Also, compare with the many verses mentioned in part 1 of this article. 

6. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’ -Acts 22:16
Ananias was speaking in a figurative way of washing away sins. 

Baptism is a picture, a symbol of salvation, but it is not salvation nor a part of salvation. That baptism is a picture or symbol of salvation is shown in 1 Peter 3:21; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12.

Notice before Paul (Saul) was baptized, but after he believed, Ananias called him, “Brother Saul” (Acts 22:13), thereby recognizing his salvation.

Notice also that Ananias, in speaking of washing away your sins included, “calling on the name of the Lord.”

Baptism is not a part of salvation, only a picture of salvation. Salvation is only in Jesus Christ, not in good works. In dealing with this issue, never forget or minimize the many clear Bible passages that teach salvation is only through personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

The song does not say,

Jesus paid a part,
Some to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
We washed it white as snow.

Rather,

“Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.”
-Elvina M. Hall, Baptist Hymnal, LifeWay; 2008. 

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, December 15, AD 2015.

Articles:
Baptismal Regeneration; Is Baptism Necessary For Salvation? Part 1 

Quotes on Acts 2:38, Baptism, Salvation

More Articles in lower right margin.