What's the difference in a typical male college student these days and a college president?

Well, besides an actual college degree and probably a Masters and/or Doctoral degree, the answer is quite simply:

Work Ethic.  

Check out this short article from Eastern Kentucky University regarding a deal made on Twitter between a student and the EKU President:

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/EKU-president-shovels-students-driveway-as-part-of-Twitter-deal-292310071.html

If I were this student's Dad or Mom, I would be ashamed.  While some may say this was just "all in fun," I think it speaks to a far deeper issue among young men today.

Laziness.

Why is that young, healthy college-aged man not shoveling his own driveway, as well as offering to shovel a few elderly neighbors' drives too?  I wonder how that young man spent the day while his university president shoveled his snow?  I'm sure he was studying hard and being highly productive.

Forgive my sarcasm.  I do not know this young man.  But I do know what is happening among young men in America is disturbing.  Fatherlessness plays a huge role.  Absentee fathers play a big role.  But even still, at some point, men have to stand on their own two feet and "man up."

Go to the ant, O sluggard.  Observe her ways and be wise, which having no chief or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest.  How long will you lie down, O sluggard?  When will you arise from your sleep?  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of hands to rest - Your poverty will come in like a vagabond and your need like an armed man (Proverbs 6:6-11).

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  Let all that you do be done in love (1 Corinthians 16:13-14).

Church, we've got to love young men enough to call out their sinful laziness and maybe even put a size 10 against their backsides from time to time.  If we do not, who will shovel snow and keep this country and her families and churches and communities and businesses running strong?

What's the most courageous thing you've ever done?

Men, it is time to dig deeper into what it means to step up and live a courageous life as we gather together for the Stepping Up Video Series. Based on his book by the same title, Dennis Rainey, along with Matt Chandler, Voddie Baucham, James MacDonald, Joshua Harris and other ministry leaders unpack what biblical manhood looks like and what it means to be a godly, courageous man in today's world. Through engaging stories, expert teaching, humorous vignettes, man-on-the-street interviews, and personal insights, these men's ministry leaders call every man to become courageous leaders in their own lives, marriages, churches, and communities. Accompanied by small-group discussion and individual follow-up exercises, men of every age will learn action tools for gospel-centered living to empower them to be true heroes in their families and communities.

We will meet every other weekend beginning Sat Feb 28 and Sun Mar 1, with Sat sessions at 9 am and Sunday sessions at 4 pm.  Men can choose which day/time works best for them. Each session is designed to take about one hour to complete. Video sessions average 25 to 30 minutes and small-group discussion times average around 30 minutes. We will close our sessions with a few minutes to pray for one another. Men, we're going to have fun and be challenged and do some growing in Christ together!  The workbook is recommended, buy it Here.

 Below is a quick introduction and preview to the video series study.

In our journey through manhood, we must step up and be courageous again and again. Every man must: Be intentional, Rely on God & Count on other men.

I have to be intentional. There’s just too much turbulence out there to rely on autopilot. I can’t afford to drift from one day to the next, one decision to the next, one assignment to the next, and expect to be successful. I will fail, or at the very least under-deliver—as a husband, dad, and friend—if I’m always in reactive mode. If my life is to have a purpose, then I must live it purposefully.

I must rely on God. Though second, this is the most important truth. I must never treat God as an add-on. With Him at the center, at the core, I have constant access to His grace, mercy, help, and wisdom. Without Him, I have nothing and I am nothing.

I need other men. This is really an extension of relying on God. I need the encouragement, training, and even the correction that God sends my way through other men. This is the great truth of Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Other men sharpen me; they make me a better man.

The Stepping Up video series feature renowned ministry leaders that will challenge you to dig deep into what it means to be a godly, courageous man. Join with us!

As our church family studies through the Book of Acts together, we come this weekend to the first recorded healing after Pentecost (Acts 3).  The man who had been crippled all his life (40+ years) is commanded in Jesus' name to "walk!"  The result is more than walking.  He leaps for joy and praises God!

Peter's interactions with the crippled beggar have really been penetrating my heart as I have meditated on them.  Peter really only spoke two sentences to the man, but they are both profound and deeply significant for the church today.

"Look at us" (Acts 3:4).

That's the first statement.  Peter and John first fixed their gaze on the man, then asked the beggar to look them in the eye.  OK?  Big deal, right?

Yes, a very big deal.  Panhandlers who look people in the eye too long are often yelled at and mistreated.  It makes us uncomfortable.  It's creepy.  And we typically avoid eye contact with beggars, don't we?  It's easier that way.  We don't have to think much about their plight.  We can excuse our lack of compassion with platitudes about them being a drunk or wasting money on drugs.

Well, maybe some beggars do those things.  But we will never know unless we care enough to get involved with them on a human level.  To look someone in the eye reminds us we are staring at the Imago Dei - the image of God.  Peter and John wanted that interaction.  They asked for it.  They treated the beggar as a Divine image bearer.  One can only imagine how many times they had watched Jesus do the same as He lived and moved among the outcasts.

"I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you" (Acts 3:6).

That's the second statement.  It's followed by the command to "rise and walk."

A historian reported that the venerable theologian Thomas Aquinas once visited Pope Innocent II at his palace in Rome.  Aquinas was stunned by the opulence.  The Pope was counting out a rather large mound of gold coins and turned to Aquinas and glibly quipped, "You see, Thomas, the Church can no longer say, 'Silver and gold have I none.'"  To this Thomas solemnly replied, "True, holy father, neither can she now say, 'Rise and walk.'"

Wow.  How true is this still today?  Far too many western churches have sold their souls for lavish buildings and multi-million dollar production stages.  Too often the most passion and energy the church ever sees today is when they launch into a "Capital Campaign."

I'm not sure Peter and John would recognize many churches as being an actual church today.  We have to repent.  We must return to our first love.  We must renew our focus and priority as given to us by Lord Jesus Himself:

And you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be My witnesses . . . even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

 

Yes, everyone is a theologian. R.C. Sproul offers a detailed explanation of the importance and role that theology plays in the Christian life. In Everyone's a Theologian R.C. Sproul explains some of the Bible's most important teachings in a readable and systematic fashion. His ability to make complex subjects understandable, and his careful handling of the Word of God make this an excellent resource. This significant theology introduction will aid any believer to apply Christian truths in their walk with Christ. It is a book about God, the Bible and the implications for our life. It is written by one of our days most careful thinkers. He is rightly referred to as a theologian, but in this book he calls every Christian a theologian, because theology is simply thinking about God. Everyone does it, but not everyone does it well. Everyone is a theologian and in this book Dr. Sproul invites every Christian to think about God carefully. The aim of the book is to make sure that our theology is in fact driven by the Word of God. Although he completely confuses the issue of baptism I can still gladly recommend the rest of the book. We plan to use this book in a future study at CBC so we want to encourage you to please go ahead and pick it up.

 

Earlier this week one of the Elders I serve with mentioned Psalm 101:3 as a "fighter verse."  It is a verse he used and uses to help believers learn how to do battle against sin.

"I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip on me."

A fighter verse indeed!  As Brother Eric was explaining how he'd been applying that verse in a current counseling situation, I raced to open my Bible and read the rest of the Psalm.  At some point I just interrupted Eric and said, "This whole Psalm is amazing for fighting sin!"  I wondered why I'd never seen it before.  (Eric, sorry for the rude interruption too, by the way).

So, I'm grateful to my fellow Elder, Eric, for sharing this with me and for the way God used it to open my eyes to yet another strong word on how God's people, enabled by His Spirit, are to make war against sin.

"I will sing of lovingkindness and justice, to You, O Lord, I will sing praises" (v. 1).

The spiritual warrior must always begin by putting on the armor of worship!  

"I will give heed to the blameless way.  When will You come to me?  I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart" (v. 2).  

Pay attention to God's Word and Ways.  Long for His presence.  And never forget that the war against sin always begins in your own heart and home.  What a man is at home, a man is.  

"I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip on me.  A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil" (vv. 3-4).

Raw spiritual grit.  Spiritual spine.  Holy guts.  That's what God requires of His warriors.  That's what God gives His warriors who love His Way and hate everything that sets itself up against God.  Walking away from the Lord, worthless things, giving up - these things "shall not fasten" their grip on me.  I will rebuke my own heart when evil arises in it.  I will not cozy up to sin in my life.

"Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him will I destroy; No one who has haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure" (v. 5).

Sin must be dealt with violently!  Keeping company with prideful slanderers will drag us into the miry pit of godlessness.  This we must not endure or put up with!  Rebuke sin where ever it is found.

"My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me.  He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before me" (vv. 6-7).

More gritty determination.  Make up your mind to live with God's people and submit yourselves only to godly counsel and ministry from godly people.  Throw any and all evil influences out of your house and out of your face, and remember the ways evil intrudes into your home and life are many and often "private."

"Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land, so as to cut off from the city of the Lord all those who do iniquity."

While King David is likely thinking in more national / political or "kingdom" terms here, the application to spiritual warfare is obvious and direct.  Our war against our flesh, the worldly way, and the devil is non-stop.  We must wake each morning and begin the fight again.  To let down our guard is to lose, to fall, to dishonor our Sovereign King who says, "Without holiness no one shall see God" (Heb 12:14).

So, maybe we need to try the P101 workout more often.  A little less time with P90X, and more time in P101, will do our hearts, minds, souls, homes and churches a whole lot of eternal good.

 

 

Reading is for our good. We all know that it is true, but many of us think of it the same way we do vegetables. We know we must have some, so we eat the bare minimum, but we certainly do not enjoy it. When someone recommends a book to us we know that it probably would be quite beneficial if we read it, but still it seems like too much effort. It's easier to just sit on the couch and watch some TV and it is easy to think it's not that big of a deal if we don't read.  What we are forgetting is that there is much that we don't know and there is much that we still need to know. This is especially true when it comes to the things of God. None of us know enough about God! None of us know enough about prayer, about trusting Him, about how we are to live holy lives. The truth is we all have a long way to go, but we have not been left in the dark. God has revealed himself to us. He makes himself known through a book, the Good Book.

The Bible, God's Word, Scripture, the Sacred Writings, the Sword of the Spirit, the Roadmap for Life, the Ultimate Instruction Manual, the Lamp to my Feet and the Light to my Path.

We've given it lots of titles and it has continued to be the best selling book of all-time yet many of our copies remain dusty on the shelf. God has spoken and His Words been written down that we might benefit from it. Have you been reading the Bible regularly? If not you've been missing out on the very words of God. He breathed it out. Jesus quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3 said “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Have you been trying to live without the sustenance of the Word of God? Have you been starving yourself and only tasting scripture on Sunday morning? Even if you read no other book this year, you need to read the Bible. You might not make it all the way through, but you do need to make a regular practice of reading the Scripture.

We have incredible access to the Bible. Are you aware of that of the world's 6,800+ languages only 513 have a copy of the entire Bible (that is around 6.6%). Most of us on the other hand own multiple copies. We can read it on our phone, we can look it up on the web. We can listen to audio versions. We have multiple translations to choose from appropriate to our reading level. We have the freedom to read it. We have the time to read it, yet sadly many of us simply don't read it, or if we do, we read such a small amount that it is quickly overrun by all the other information that flows into our minds each day. Reading the Bible is an incredible privilege and responsibility. Plainly put, we are poor stewards of this incredible access to God's Word if we do not make regular use of it. I cannot encourage you strongly enough, Go read the Bible! Join with the author of Psalm 119 and say, "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Psalm 119:97,103.

Your pastors want to encourage you to read some really good books this year. We want to recommend books that will help you grow in your Christian maturity and help you be transformed into the likeness of Christ by the renewing of your mind. We are reading them as well and want to discuss them with you. Of course, the primary book we want everyone to read is the Bible, but then in addition to that we want to recommend two other small books for you to read this year. You can do it.

For those who finish these recommended books and are hungry for more check out our books worth reading page.

Several years ago, a little orange book hit the shelves of Christian bookstores.  I dare say nobody who read it came away neutral.  You either loved it (in a sick, this-hurts-but-I-needed-it-kind-of-way) or you hated it (probably because it hurt and you were not willing to deal with its hard truths).

The author is David Platt.  He is the new President of the International Mission Board (IMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention.  And I, for one, am excited!

Platt's heart for the gospel, and particularly the gospel to the peoples of the world who have never heard, oozes out of every book he's written (at least that I've read) and out of every sermon I've heard him preach.  He strikes me as a modern day Paul.  No time for games.  No time for unnecessary church socials.  No time for building programs or capital campaigns.  Billions are dying without the gospel and young girls are being sold into sex slavery and 20,000 are dying today of starvation while we fritter away our time and money.  O Christian  Arise!

That's the message of the book Radical.  

Platt's follow up, however, is called Radical Together.  What Radical is to the individual follower of Christ, Radical Together is for the Church of Christ.  Especially the local church of Christ, which is where the action is in this world.

The Church in America may not be ready for Platt's biblically-driven challenges, but she desperately needs to hear them.  Local churches all across this land have gotten so far off the course Jesus set for His people that one wonders if she'll ever be able to regain her strong sense of God-glorifying, gospel-proclaiming, Christ-exalting purpose and mission.  Platt is not ready to throw in the towel.  Neither am I.

Chapter One really is worth the price of this book.  It's titled "Tyranny of the Good" and its main thrust is that "one of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church."  I could not agree more.  As a Pastor I get weary of putting so much time and effort into tons of "good things" that are not really the best thing.  I also get weary of being expected to put so much time and effort into promoting and planning good things that essentially distract us from the best thing.  I am hungry for more.  For better.  From myself.  From God's flock.  We need to say "no" to lots of things to sharpen our focus on the best thing - making disciples of the nations for God's glory in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Corydon Baptist Church, please add this book to your must read list in 2015.  If every member would read his or her Bible through this year, and read Evangelism (see former post) and Radical Together and start talking about how God would have us change, I would be a very happy Pastor.  More importantly, I believe God would do far greater things in us and among us and through us than we can ever ask, dream or think!

Why has the church over the past decades in the west talked so much about evangelism but done so very little of it? Massive evangelism conferences have been held. Mountains of curricula have been produced. Yet, by and large, most churches I know anything about are not really doing evangelism at all, or very well. Why?

Mack Stiles' little book aims to address this very dilemma. His answer is both profound and simple all at once.

Stiles begins by giving some anecdotes that may seem like evangelism, but they turn out to be fools gold. Thus, the title of Chapter One, "Of Altar Calls and Laser Lights." But if so much that has passed as evangelism really isn't, then what is?

"Evangelism is teaching the gospel with the aim to persuade" (p. 26).

This simple definition drives the rest of the book. Stiles is more about the church working to build and becoming a culture where evangelism happens (preferably routinely as a way of life), rather than the church relegating evangelism to conferences, curricula, and professionals.

OK? But how?

Well, I don't want to spoil it for you. Go buy the book and read it!  I can tell you that this is the most biblical and practical book I have ever read on the subject of evangelism. The primary ways that we can "become intentional evangelists living in intentional cultures of evangelism," says Stiles, are these:

1. Prepare our hearts, minds and feet.
2. Understand a gospel-shaped way of life.
3. Slay our assumptions.
4. See evangelism as a discipline.
5. Pray.
6. When possible, give leadership in evangelism.

Is your appetite whetted? I hope so. Your pastors are asking every member of Corydon Baptist Church to read this book in 2015. Find a buddy or partner and read and discuss it together. Begin to prayerfully seek God for how you can help us grow into an intentionally evangelistic culture.

For God's Glory in the Gospel of Christ!

Thursday is the 42nd anniversary of the tragedy of Roe v. Wade.  Tens of millions of murdered babies later, we're forced as American believers to wonder how much longer this nation can survive this holocaust.

Some bright spots exist.  Younger Americans are more pro-life, according to research and polls.  Organizations have been busy doing undercover work to expose the insane evil that occurs on a daily basis in Planned Parenthood facilities.  Some horrific examples are:  Prostitution is encouraged and supported, even among 12 year old girls.  Laws are routinely ignored.  Sanitation is quite poor and sub-standard by any hospital's guidelines.  Testimonies of women victimized and treated with coldness during the murderous procedures are becoming more commonplace.  All this exposure is having an impact, for which we should thank God.

And yet, by and large the "law of the land" is still deeply entrenched.  It seems no matter the route taken (the person-hood initiative, the fetal pain laws, and so on), the end result is the same.  Higher courts uphold some contrived woman's "right" to end the life of her unborn child.  Our President and many lawmakers still support infanticide, despite obvious medical evidence that abortion is nothing less than killing a defenseless human.  When will it end?  Will it end?  And what can we do as Christians who know human life is precious because God has made us all in His own image and forbidden us to murder innocent human life.

Let me suggest four very simple things every Christian can and should do:

1. Pray.  When is the last time you attended a prayer gathering at your church aimed specifically at crying out to God on behalf of unborn babies, victimized mothers, estranged dads, and wicked, spiritually blind doctors?  We still just don't get it, do we?
2. Support local pro-life pregnancy centers.  These are popping up everywhere and we ought to be giving money generously to them.  We ought to serve as counselors, donate baby bottles, walk in the walk-a-thons, and do whatever else it takes to see these places of blessing succeed.  Most local centers aim to not just save babies, but also to minister the gospel to moms and dads who are broken beyond belief.  If you're in our region, support Choices for Women of New Albany, IN or Speak for the Unborn and A Woman's Choice Resource Center in Louisville KY.
3. Badger the heck out of your elected officials.  Use your voice as a voter in America!  Send emails.  Make phone calls.  Write letters.  Urge pro-life legislation.  Urge lawmakers to hold Planned Parenthood accountable for crimes and violations.  Make sure your elected officials know you are watching them and will not vote for them for re-election if they do not support the pro-life cause at every turn.  Tell them how disgusted you are that you have been forced to subsidize infanticide with your tax money!  Don't be afraid to show some moral outrage!!  We still have some measure of freedom folks, let's use it while we still can.
4. Consider joining side-walk missionaries.  In downtown Louisville, KY, every weekend Christians from local churches stand outside the Planned Parenthood offices and urge women to re-consider.  They share the gospel with women.  They plead with women and men to choose life.  These are the true warriors among us, church.  They are often threatened, sometimes physically assaulted, and even arrested every now and then.  And for what?  For countering the lies of the devil with the truth of Jesus Christ.  In America.  This ministry may not be for everyone, but it must be at least prayerfully considered by every Christian.

God help us!  God grant us courage to fight for the unborn, and extend mercy to broken men and women who are considering abortion or who have already committed the act.  Jesus saves murderers.  Just ask the Apostle Paul.

Listen to this short clip from John Piper. It is his response to a statement made by our president a few years ago.

This video shows some of what is going on in Louisville to stop abortion.

http://vimeo.com/9180043

"You can be so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good." is one of those clichés that I've heard repeatedly echoed throughout my life. Is it accurate? Can we be too heavenly minded? In Colossians chapter 3 the apostle Paul commands us to set our minds on things that are above and not on things that are on the earth. He instructs us to seek after heavenly things. We are told to intentionally refocus our attention on the things of God. We have to think about that which is heavenly. This is specifically set in contrast to the things that are earthly. Is this promoting a disregard of physical concerns like feeding the hungry, caring for the environment or mowing your lawn? I think not! I've been rereading a good book titled The Hope of Glory: 100 Daily Meditations on Colossians and today I came across this passage that strongly speaks to this issue.

"The problem with the church today is not that there are too many people who are passionately in love with heaven. The problem is not that professing Christians are retreating from the world, spending half their days reading Scripture and the other half singing about their pleasures in God all the while indifferent to the needs of the world. The problem is that professing Christians are spending ten minutes reading Scripture and then half their day making money and the other half enjoying and repairing what they spend it on.

It is not heavenlimindedness that hinders love. It is worldlimindedness that hinders love, even when it is disguised by a religious routine on the weekend. Where is the person whose heart is so passionately in love with the promised glory of heaven that he feels like an exile and a sojourner on the earth? Where is the person who has so tasted the beauty of the age to come that the diamonds of the world look like baubles, and the entertainment of the world is empty, and the moral causes of the world are too small because they have no view to eternity? Where is this person? He is not in bondage to TV-watching or eating or sleeping or drinking or partying or fishing or sailing. . . . He is a free man in a foreign land. And his one question is this: How can I maximize my enjoyment of God for all eternity while I am an exile on this earth? And his answer is always the same: by doing the labors of love.

Only one thing satisfies the heart whose treasure is in heaven: doing the works of heaven. And heaven is a world of love! It is not the cords of heaven that bind the hands of love. It is the love of money and leisure and comfort and praise - these are the cords that bind the hands of love. And the power to sever these cords is Christian hope."

We need to be heavenly minded, so we can do earthly good. When you take a good look at how you are living, do you think you could truthfully be described as one who is heavenly minded? If not, it's time to make a change. What is one thing you can do this week in order to set your mind more firmly on the things of God?