Statement of Faith

I've been thinking about a statement of faith for Christ Baptist Church. A couple of questions to help me:

1. Does your church have a statement of faith that is used (like you had to agree with it to be a member)?
2. Does your church use an already established statment of faith (like the New Hampshire Confession) or did they create their own?
3. Which historical statement of faith do you like best?

All the same questions could be asked about a church covenant also.

How the Present Tense Cultivates Humility

I've devoted myself to studying the Pastoral Epistles this fall. Christ Baptist Church is going through 1 Timothy on Sunday nights and I'll be studying 2 Timothy through the internship program at Open Door Baptist Church in Raliegh.

We studied 1 Timothy 1 last night. 1 Timothy 1:12-17 has been one of my favorite passages for a long time. However, I have been reading the the tense of the verbs wrongly until a few days ago.

In this passage, Paul recounts his sinfulness and reminds Timothy that he was a persecutor of the church and a blasphemer. Then, he goes on to label himself as the cheif of sinners. Finnally, he exalts the grace of Christ to save sinners like himself. All Paul can do is praise God in response to His saving grace (v. 17).

Paul calls himelf the foremost sinner. I have previously understood this designation to be referring to Paul's past sinfulness (he opposed the spread of the church and Jesus Himself). However, in verse 15 the verb is present tense. Paul says, "Jesus came in to the world to save sinners, of who I am the foremost." Paul does not say he is the worst sinner because of his past sins, he is the worst sinner because of his present sins.

We will never see the beauty of the cross and justification until we see ourselves as the worst sinners in all the world. Jesus did not come to save those who view themselves as occassional sinners. He came to save the utterly sinful. Jesus desires to show His glory by saving the totally depraved (v. 16).

I recently heard C.J. Mahaney talk about cultivating a passion for Christ. His one practical piece of advice was to familiarize oneself with the doctrine of sin.

We Made It!

Time left: 9:30am (Central time) on Wednesday morning
Time arrived: 11:00pm (Eastern time) on Thursday night

Hours spent waiting for a locksmith to free Calvin (the dog) from the car somewhere in South Carolina: 2

Cost of gas for the Uhaul: $537.10

Number of miles we drove: 1230

More later.

A question for you: If you were planting a church in a new city, what would be some of the first things you would do?

Load up today; Drive alot Wed. and Thurs.

Some Good NC Advice

Thabiti gave this good advice in a recent comment about my upcoming move:

Brother,
I just discovered this post. What an exciting and kind providence the Lord has performed! I am praying that you and the family would find His grace sufficient in every way and that He would be pleased to make your life and ministry fruitful in Wilson.

Now, as for Wilson.... A few things to keep in mind. Actually, the Mudcats are closer than the Durham Bulls. So you might check out a little minor league action there.

You're not from the Triangle area so I gotta stress what one other writer noted. You're heading deep into college hoops territory. You're a little far east of the epicenter, but close enough that you gotta know the ropes. Okay... you get two teams of the big three (Carolina, Duke and NC State). You get your favorite of the three (that's NC State for me, class of '92), and you get one of the other two, usually the one you don't hate. Now, you will be immediately suspect in the eyes of locals if you pretend no interest or you pull the "I'm okay with them all" routine. Save your minsitry! Pick a team! By the way, UNC fans are not to be trusted :-)

Last big point. I'm from Lexington, NC-- the barbecue capitol of the world baby! But there is a huge difference between eastern NC and Lexington-styled barbecue. They're both good and beat the pants off the stuff in SC and VA. But be aware that the barbecue loyalties run deep, too. My wife is from a little town called Chocowinity, about an hour east of Wilson. Next time we pass through, we should get together and have some bbq.

Every grace and blessing,Thabiti

9 "Marks" of my ministry to students

Last night was my farewell message to my students. I wanted to remind them of all that I have labored to teach them from God's Word. I wanted to praise God for doing these things in our lives. I guess you can say these are the things I have emphasized over the past 2+ years.

9 Things I Hope God Has Taught You Through Me:

1. I hope I taught you that the God of the universe is stunningly beautiful and incomparable to everything else. He is the meaning of life and everything is meaningless apart from Him.

2. I hope I taught you that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He is the only way we can find ourselves righteous before a holy God.

3. I hope I taught you that God does everything He does for His own glory and, therefore, we should do everything for His glory.

4. I hope I taught you that all of God’s good promises will come true, especially that He will cause everything to work for your good if you love Him and are called according to His purpose.

5. I hope I taught you that suffering and persecution are inevitable for a Christian and that the proper response to suffering is joy in Jesus.

6. I hope I taught you that the Word of God is more valuable than a 100 Million dollars and that we should read it, study it, talk about it, meditate on it, memorize it, and apply it to our lives.

7. I hope I taught you to be a “World Christian” – to order your life around God’s global purposes to make His name known among all the peoples of the world.

8. I hope I taught you John 15:5 – that apart from Jesus you can do nothing.

9. I hope I taught you that Jesus loves His Bride, the Church, and that we also are to be passionate about His Church.

Be a "Book-Giver"

Books are valuable. Let me qualify: Some books are valuable. A good book is worth much more than the 10 or 15 dollars it costs to obtain it. For example, think about the best book you have ever read, the one that has had tremendous influence in your life. How much would you have paid to learn that truth or have that experience? I think about Desiring God by John Piper. I would have paid a million dollars for that book. Praise God, you can get a copy of this priceless book for about $12.

Which leads me to what I was reminded of today: We should be "book-givers." We should be the people who are always transfering the most important books to other people. We should never enjoy a good book and simply put it on the shelf. Here is an attainable goal: Give away a copy of every book that you enjoy and benefit from (maybe give away a couple of copies).

My friend, Mark Gibson, is a "book-giver." As I boxed up my study this week, I was reminded again how many good books he has given me. We had a "farewell" lunch today, and he gave me three more books. Man, I'm going to miss Mark, our theology lunches, and getting good books from him. Mark, keep up the good work in Beaumont, and find someone else to mentor through good books. I'll do the same in Wilson, humbly following your example.

Another testimony about the giving of good books. My friend Rob and I have an unspoken rule about presents: Only give books. For almost 8 years now, Rob and I have given each other good books (most of them) for birthdays and Christmas. If my math is right, I should expect to get at least 100 more good books over the next 50 years from Rob. Rob, I'm hoping at least one of those 100 books will be one written by you. I can't wait.

Church Members are NOT Prospects

Mark Dever has a helpful and passionate post about a huge mistake Southern Baptists are making.
Mark continues to challenge us to live in light of The Day of Judgment.

Jeanna enters the blogosphere

My wife has created a blog. Check there if you really want the scoop of what is going on in our lives.

An update on me:
I've got my entire office packed up (like 35 boxes). I wanted to get that done by today so I can spend the rest of the week working on my farewell sermon for Sunday. More on all that soon.

Advice for Church Planting

Phil A. Newton has a fantastic article called "Musings On Church Planting."

World Trade Center: The Movie

I had the privilage of taking my wife on a dinner and a movie date tonight. We went to see the new movie about two police officers who were trapped in the World Trade Center rubble on September 11, 2001. I am far from a movie critic, but here are my initial observations:

1. This movie was not what I expected it to be. I expected it to be a wide lens view of the events of September 11. However, it was very narrow in its scope. Most of the movie is about two cops and their families.

2. This movie was very moving and contained a powerful message. The main message of this movie was about not taking our families for granted. When they were trapped, these guys just wanted one more chance to hug their wives and children and tell them how much they loved them. We all grow overly familiar with those we love. We need to be shaken sometimes. We need to be reminded that life is short. We need to do a better job of living each day as if it were our last.

3. I liked the stark reality of this movie. It had an authentic humility about it.

4. Jesus makes two appearances. Not only does he get some airtime, but he holds bottles of water (how much did Osarka pay Oliver Stone for this?). If you like bottled water, you better hurry and stock up because now that everyone knows Jesus is into bottled water, it is going to be selling like hotcakes.
The context: As these two cops are trapped and about to die underneath 20 foot of rubble, they try to keep each other awake. While one goes in and our of conciousness, he sees Jesus. The implication is that he is very close to entering Heaven.
On a serious note: we need to think deeply about this. If Karis (my daughter) were old enough to have theological conversations, my questions would go something like this: Karis, did this movie give any reason to believe that this cop was a Christian? Did this guy possess an obvious faith in God's promises? According to his own words, what was this cop's greatest treasure. What did he most want in what he thought were his last moments?
Sadly, this movie was another instance of our culture's core theology: Justfication by death. This movie portrayed the false belief that all "good" people go to Heaven.

5. Tell someone you love how much you care about them. Pick up the phone or walk into the other room right now. Life is short.

CBC Core Values and Mission Statement

Our church joyfully exists to bring glory to God by spreading the good news to all people and building each other up as we grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Core Values and Objectives:

1. To cooperate as a Southern Baptist church, affirming the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message, emphasizing church planting missions.

2. To be generally consistent with the principles found in Mark Dever’s Nine Marks of a Healthy Church.

3. To enjoy God-centered expository preaching and teaching.

4. To establish a plurality of pastors/elders who will lead and oversee a congregational form of church government.

5. To experience dynamic corporate worship that is Christ-centered, joyfully reverent, and saturated with Scripture.

6. To maintain a consistent celebration of the ordinances (baptism and Lord’s Supper).

7. To promote evangelism that flows from living out the gospel – touching others’ lives with the love of Christ and freely sharing the gospel of Christ.

8. To emphasize shepherding and the development of intentional relationships among members.

9. To have an expectation that a biblically solid and healthy church will experience growth both spiritually and numerically.

10. To emphasize genuine biblical fellowship and discipleship through effective small group ministries.

11. To be actively involved in multiplying our ministries by training leaders and planting churches locally, nationally, and internationally.

Christ Baptist Church

Yesterday, I resigned from my position as Associate Pastor of First Baptist Church Beaumont in response to God's call to pastor Christ Baptist Church in Wilson, NC. We have been praying for months about God's unmistakable call on our lives.

I must tell you how God orchestrated the events surrounding this call:

Anybody remember when I did the MP3 cd giveaway a few months ago? I expected about 5 people to request one. Well, my friend, Rob, decided to send that link to Justin Taylor in hopes that more people could get their hands on such great sermons. Justin Taylor graciously posted the link and I got flooded with e-mails requested these sermons. I immediately had to shut down the giveaway and ended up sending about 80 or so cds out. In order to "fill up" one of the cds, I included 3 of my most recent sermons, hoping to be of benefit to someone.

Well, one person who received this cd, Lisa, is part of a church plant in Wilson, NC. She is part of a group of 7 who have been meeting for Bible study and prayer for over a year. They have been praying for a lead pastor. Only because of the mysterious providence of God, Lisa listened to one of my sermons and found her heart resonating with mine. She shared my sermons with the core group in Wilson.

Then, I get this e-mail from Lisa asking me if I would ever consider pastoring a church plant. She had no idea Jeanna and I have been praying for a church to pastor. She was just stepping out in faith. My interest peaked when I read their core values and mission statement (which I will include in a future post). I found my passions and desires in their core values.

So, I said, "Sure, I'll consider it." And now I'll be packing up the U-haul and driving across the country to be a part of watching Christ build His Church in Wilson.

I feel like Lou Gehrig, standing in the middle of Yankee stadium saying, "I must be the luckiest man on the face of the earth." Well, I feel like the most blessed man in the history of the world. I don't deserve these blessings. I don't deserve to pastor. I don't deserve to have a fellow elder like my new friend, Tim.

Ask lots of questions. I'm not sure what else to write.

My Resignation Letter from FBC Beaumont

Dear Church family,

About a month ago, I received an e-mail from a group of Christians in Eastern North Carolina. They wrote to tell me of their desire to plant a church in an area where many churches have gone the way of the world. They had listened to several of my sermons and resonated with my passion to glorify the name of Christ. They humbly asked if I would consider coming to be their pastor.

It is no secret that God has called me to pastor. I knew that eventually God was going to give me a church to shepherd and care for. I never expected that it would be a new church plant. However, God’s ways are higher than ours and His plan is perfect.

So, I am standing here today to tell you that Jeanna and I have accepted the call to pastor Christ Baptist Church of Wilson, North Carolina. Wilson is about 40 miles east of Raleigh and is a growing area. Christ Baptist Church will be mentored by a large church in Raleigh and will (God Willing) begin services in an Elementary school on September 17.

We want to make clear that we believe God has called us to this ministry. There is nothing about First Beaumont that is causing us to leave. Our 2+ years here have been nothing but amazing. We love this church and want the best for it. This was my first full-time ministry position. This is the church that Karis was born in. This is the church I was ordained in. We are grieved that we will be moving so far away from so many of our family and friends. We are excited about the future of First Beaumont and will continue to pray for you as you search for a pastor. We do not desire to cut ties with this church. We desire to keep in touch and continue to support First Beaumont. We would rather you view this as sending us out to complete the Great Commission, rather than our simply moving to another job.

Thank you for how you have encouraged us, challenged us, and made us part of your family.

Our plan is to be here for another few weeks and then transition to Wilson toward the end of August. We would very much like these final weeks to be a sweet time of fellowship with you. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you in these last weeks.

My desire has not wavered from that first sermon I preached here in 2004. I may be the only one who remembers it. It was called “Faithfulness to Jesus is better than life.” Doing what He has called me to do is and will continue to be my primary passion. In Acts 20:24, Paul says, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s Grace.”

Proverbs 16:5

"Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished."

13 Marks of a Healthy Church Member

Mark Redfern has a fantastic post about the marks of healthy church members:

A Biblical Church Member is...

(1) Cheerfully committed to the membership of the church (Mt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:41,47)
(2) Humbly submissive to the leadership of the church (Heb. 13:17)
(3) Conscientiously affirms the confession of the church (Jude 3)
(4) Growing delight in the sabbath of the church (Exodus 20:8-11, Is. 58:13-14)
(5) Consistent attendance at the services of the church (Heb. 10:24-25)
(6) Vigorously engaged in the worship of the church (John 4:23-24, Eph. 5:19)
(7) Faithfully observe the ordinances of the church (Mt. 28:19, Luke 22:19)
(8) Sacrificially involved in the ministries of the church (1 Pet. 4:8-11)
(9) Actively participate in the fellowship of the church (Acts 2:42-47)
(10) Hopefully concur with the discipline of the church (Mt. 18:15-20, 1 Cor. 5)
(11) Passionately burdened for the mission of the church (Psalm 67)
(12) Joyfully support the finances of the church (2 Cor. 9:7)
(13) Eagerly seeks the unity of the church (Eph. 4:1-6)