Third Avenue Baptist Church

Desire

2009-04-09T14:48:54Z

In this past Sunday’s sermon Kurt talked about Achan’s desire — his desire for the things of Jericho. I have been rereading a book lately that talks about how we form our desires (which are not innate) by imitating the desires of others. In the 10th commandment we are prohibited from coveting the things of our neighbor. We want our neighbor’s stuff though because our neighbor showed us that these things were desirable. As we come to follow Christ, we need to have not only our desires changed, but also the model for our desires. Christ had no desire of His own per see, but rather the desire to be an imitator of His Father. Achan was modeling his desires after the folks from Jericho. Who is our “desire” model?

A rabbi, a miracle, and Jesus–not a joke

2009-04-08T22:24:26Z

I have had the privilege of teaching through our statement of faith article by article since Feb. One of the most convicting lessons was on the fall of man. According to the article, we have inherited “a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and his law.” This means we rebel against God with every breathe, every action, every thought. Even our best motives are tainted with sin. This should help us only see our need for Christ more and praise him that his blood covers every sin.

The hardness of our hearts and our need for God’s grace had a whole new application after reading an article my father sent me from the Greenville News. The article is by a Jewish Rabbi that my dad talks about often because he has some far left opinions and likes to share them. This particular article was excellent in a study of the fall of man.

A summary of the events from the article are as follows…The Rabbi is prayed over by some “fundamental Christians” for a kidney stone he was going to have zapped the next day. The Christians were getting a lesson on the passover and they prayed for him in Jesus’ name that he would be healed but “not by the hands of man.” The amazing thing is that the next day he no longer had blood in his urine and when he went to the doctor the kidney stone was not there. He admits it is a miracle and recognizes that the miracle took place under the explicit name of Jesus. So one would think, here we have a man whose heart has to be softened and ready for the gospel. Right?

No, he has inherited “a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and his law.” The Rabbi thinks that the special moment was being around people who still believe in miracles. He confesses, “I firmly believe that [the prayer for healing] could have risen heavenward through Jesus, Yahweh, Buddha, Krishna or the Bab, or anyone or thing who manifests the Supreme Power.”

I am astounded by the hardness of the heart in this confession. I have heard people say, “if only I saw a miracle or lived when Jesus did, then I would believe.” Actually, no you wouldn’t. Our hearts hate God and his work. The sinful nature twists, corrupts, perverts every good and perfect gift that comes down from the Father above. We come up with excuses to deny him, reject him, discount his goodness, and spit in his face when the occasion arises. In our evangelism we cannot think that enough proof, argumentation, evidence, etc will convert the unbeliever. It is the grace of God alone and the power of the Spirit. The clear evidence of a miracle would not convert the rabbi just as many saw miracles done by Jesus himself and their hearts were only hardened further. God saves by a special grace “wrought by the Holy Spirit.”

Christian,we are just like this rabbi. As Christians we have God’s blessing all around us all the time, but we still grumble and complain. We have the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit working in us and for us to make our sinful deeds somehow acts of worship. Apart from God’s grace we would never recognize any good gift, most importantly the gift of his Son who died for our sins.

Seeing this hardness should cause us to thank God for the mercy shown to us that gives us eyes to see. There can be no pride concerning our ability to see where this rabbi cannot see. Our response is only humility that God loved us. It should also give us an urgncy in prayer for those with whom we are sharing the gospel. Our words about sin, the death and burial of Christ, and new life are necessary, but will prove to be ineffective without the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Glory to God for his grace.

A Belated Anniversary

2009-03-23T20:45:16Z

What were you doing three years ago? Many of our current members weren’t around here three years ago, which is great in that we have lots of new folks. What’s not so great is that a number of members from 2006 have moved on. But, the main point to this post (for those who were here and those who weren’t) is that it was three years ago on March 16 that we formally implemented our constitution and elder leadership. We did not cross into some “promised land” when that happened, but we did enter a period of sustained spiritual growth and health for the church. With thanks to all those who shouldered the load with us, with thanks to all who have joined our band, and with all the glory to our Father . . .

My Prayer This Monday Morning

2009-03-09T14:52:10Z

Yesterday, we considered together that the choice facing Rahab to align herself with the unbelief of her people or to align herself with the one, true, God mirrors the choice facing all people. Jesus Christ is coming. For some, his arrival will be a day of rejoicing. For others it will be a day of judgment. The only way to avoid the judgment of that day is to switch our allegiance from sin to God. My prayer this morning is that Third would be increasingly marked by an evangelistic zeal that appreciates the certainty of Christ’s coming and that we would see many come to saving faith through our bold proclamation of the Gospel, both from the pulpit and in our relationships.

What is our role in suffering?

2009-02-25T19:03:57Z

This blog is based upon a meditation of I Pet 3, my self-loathing, the blessing others’ suffering has brought to my own life, and John Chrysostom.

One of the key questions when suffering is asking if my suffering is for some sin in my life or for doing wickedness. If you are suffering in prison for tax fraud, its suffering for the sin committed. Another key question is how others are related to my suffering. We rarely suffer in isolation. This could mean that another party is causing my suffering or that another party is suffering with me. In the latter case it is sad that it is often those closest to us that bring about suffering (family, church) and in the latter case it is glorious when those closest to us are suffering with us (family, church). Now, I am writing to those whose suffering is not not due to their own sin. Disclaimer: making the judgment that I have not sinned to bring about suffering is hard and I need others to help me with it.

So, for those who can have good reason to recognize their suffering is either for acting righteously or just because someone else is acting wickedly. These two are actually usually related because sinners respond to righteousness with sin apart from the Holy Spirit moving in their life. What to do when in the midst of suffering?

1. Ask if there are sinful actions that could be the source of your suffering or if any motivations are sinful. Okay, I have already said it, but the repetition is intentional. This is a question you never stop asking.

2. Do not try to escape the suffering or tough time if it is not based upon your own sin. If it is, then repent. If it is not your sin, then the God who works all things for your good is actually doing so even though you do are not yet realizing it (yet). Real spiritual growth is only seen by us in retrospect when we can look back a year or two from the experience and see what fools we were and how we are slightly less foolish now. If you try to escape the suffering you are going to miss out on becoming less of a fool and God’s great blessing, and most likely just increase your suffering. God uses your tough times to build you and the church up. Endure!

3. Realize that the only matter that is within your realm of control is your own virtue. The wrong you are suffering is out of your control, but the way you respond to it is your responsibility and duty. You are to bless those who curse (I Pet 3:8-9) and love your enemy (Matt 5:43ff). That is what makes Christians different and the remarkable thing about it is God blesses and loves those who do this (of course he loves them fist because they are seen in the blood of Christ who did this preeminently). The pattern has been set by Christ (Rom 8:31ff and I Pet 3:18ff). Our spirituality, virtue, and character is what is being tested and purified by God. We must focus on what God wants to change within us instead of how our circumstances need to change in order for us to be happy, faithful, or content. I like what Chrysostom says when in exile, “no one who is wronged is wronged by another, but experiences this injury at his own hands.” Johnny C. is not even considering being exiled as a true wrong suffered. The only real wrong suffered is that we do by our own hands when we choose not to submit to the suffering and curse. Only we can truly wrong ourselves by not being obedient. This is a radical way to live.

4. Pray for God to open your eyes to the blessing that is at hand so that you can actually enjoy the suffering. This sounds perverse, but if you can get here (and I am not, but I thank God my wife bears fruit of this lifestyle and heavenly perspective) you will enjoy contentment and a life blessed with heavenly rewards. To be able to see God’s fruit because of obedience in suffering while suffering is a rare jewel (I am stealing words from Jeremiah Burroughs here, Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment). It can only be accomplished by seeking to know God on a higher level than your present circumstances and in the cross where God’s own suffering brought about the greatest blessing for God’s prized possession. This means we pray for God’s suffering to end in his timing, that he accomplishes what he desires with it, and that our wills would somehow be aligned with him in the suffering.

An additional point to the church, at these times the local church has the greatest opportunity to act like who they are–the body of Christ. By wrapping their arms around the suffering and lifting them up, and pointing them to the head who is able to give wisdom because he is the wisdom of God.

Is faith for faith’s sake beneficial?

2009-01-28T03:18:28Z

A friend’s blog sent me to this article by an atheist who thinks Christianity is good for Africa. I appreciate the atheist’s thoughts and observations that people seem more at peace because they were converted. He even credits the reformed tradition that emphasizes the direct connection man can have with God specifically (see priesthood of every believer). He also realizes that a major breakthrough must take place in one’s philosophical/spiritual framework in order to make the kind of changes that he sees in the African Christians. The question I have is what event, fact, or experience can change someone’s worldview? And are they really better off for believing in Christ if you are truly an atheist?

First, as a theist, or specifically a Triunist, my worldview was changed when the Holy Spirit penetrated my heart. When this takes place, the heart is convicted of sin and pointed to Christ. The event of Christ dying for the sin that condemns us and his resurrection is realized as the saving event of God. It is factual in the sense that God has entered our history and became an event. The infinite, eternal, Creator God entered the finite, temporal world by taking on the created nature of a man. He became the great incognito as Kierkegaard called him. The infinite God became hidden by the finite human nature he added to himself. The Christ event alone does not “shake up” one’s philosophical/spiritual framework. One must have the experience with the Spirit who draws us to the Son who died under Pontius Pilate and was sent by the Father. Christianity, in other words, is empirical and experiential. Add that God has spoken his Word and given us the ability to think his thoughts after him, it is also rational.

Now, if you are an atheist, you don’t buy any of that. You think we have made up some God to make us feel good or protected. We may be happier–someone has stats that our sex lives are apparently better (I don’t want to know the evidence they have for this or how they got it)–but shouldn’t we be pitied because it is false hope and false happiness. Paul makes this exact argument in I Cor 15. If the Christ event did not happen, our experience with the Spirit is not authentic and we walk around duped when we should be getting doped! I agree with Nietzsche wholeheartedly, save us from our superstitions. We are to be pitied, not seen as good for offering false hope to Africa.

Now, what is the point in all this. When I was first converted people used to say, “good for you, faith is good for everyone.” I had no idea what they meant. It sounded like what a parent would say to their child when they are first potty trained, “good job, everybody poops.” Faith has become abstract and generic since the days of Schleiermacher, father of liberalism, who defined conversion as “a feeling of absolute dependence.” “The faith” (come hear a sermon on Jude 3 this Sunday) has a definite content, subject, object, and experience. False faith is to be pitied and someone needs to penetrate the false philosophical/spiritual framework. As Christians, we should be more bold with the gospel. Non-Christians, who I hear read our blog often, you should be engaging us to rid us of our superstition. Deride and pity us, don’t cheer us on in what you consider absurdity.

Pastor Kurt’s 3 AREAS FOR PRAYER AND ACTION

2009-01-27T15:39:06Z

1) Church Life….We have a wonderful church. We have wonderful fellowship…But people still fall through the cracks – members and visitors…

Part of this is because we have been growing and because we are a transitory church.

Also, our demographic is changing…More college students, more newly married couples, more singles, more internationals (3 new international members as of tonight).

All this means that each of us needs to have a mindset of reaching out and building relationships with those we don’t know especially well and who are at different stages of life than we are…

Suggestions:

After service, instead of first talking to those you know, make it a point to meet and greet one visitor and one other member you don’t know….
When a major event happens in the life of a member, good or bad…like the birth of a child or the loss of a family member…even if you don’t know them very well…make it a point to send them an email or a card, letting them know you’re praying for them….
Strategically consider ways you can serve another member who is at a different stage of life….

- Single and in college – how can you serve a couple with 2 children…and one on the way?
- Married with or without children – how can you pour into a college student?
- Long-time married couple, how can you invest in a younger or newly married couple?, ETC…

2) Church Leadership and Administration…As far as paid staff…We’re too big not to have more staff help; we’re too small to hire it….Regardless, we clearly need it…So, if we continue to grow and we have the resources, I hope we are able to add man power to help us be stewards of our opportunities and resources.

As far as elders…our goal is to bring on 1-3 new ones over the next year. So being praying for this.

3) Church Ministry
Outreach to Old Louisville beyond the UofL…Riley’s done a great job of getting some traction on this through St. James Art Fair, etc….I think we should pray for more presence and relationships here…Now that I’m living here, and viewed by the community as the official representative, there’s a huge opportunity for me in this….So pray that I’d be a good steward and that God would bless me especially in this.

Direct involvement in international missions…
Many ways to foster this….approach to budget, what we pray for, etc…
Ultimately, I want 3rd to be an active sending church….
And I believe we don’t have to wait 10 years to be a sending church…that There are opportunities now to take advantage of…

The elders have discussed the possibility of our church sending our own team to Asia through the IMB. There are several reasons for this:

We have many mission-minded members with interest and experience in Asia, and as a church, we want to be a good steward of his blessings.
The IMB is moving more toward a model where it works with churches to do this very thing.
Sending our own team with established relationships, similar approach to ministry makes good sense.

To do something like this takes time and requires people with knowledge and a vision to see it through. So this May, me, Riley and Adam will be taking what’s called a Vision
Trip to Asia that is being coordinated through the IMB.

The goal of the trip will be to get a sense of the work going on over there…to visit different types of settings — urban,
rural, unreached — and to get a sense of the different challenges each sort of setting poses. The places we target will places where we could possibly send a team.

There’s much more to say here and much more will be said in the days ahead. But I wanted to get this tremendous opportunity on your radar so that we can begin praying
together that God would guide us, give us wisdom, and use us to bring him glory as we proclaim the gospel.

Pastor Kurt’s Year in Review

2009-02-25T19:00:13Z

9 births
7 current pregnancies
3 planned adoptions
Opies were married
Jackie Keith got engaged

45 New Members– Nov 07- Nov 08, as of tonight it’ll be 53 new members
We exceeded our budget by nearly $40,000
We’ve made it through a huge leadership transition: Added a sr. pastor….lost 4 elders, sent one on sabbatical, and yet God has kept the rafters from falling…even if the water pipes are bursting…
Brad and Keith have and continue to do an amazing amount of work to fill in the gaps left by others…THANK YOU!!!
Ministry – robust outreach to the UofL: College lunch, members leading bible studies, evangelism…on a normal Sunday by casual observation my we have several non-member attendees related to the UofL in some way.
Bible class for internationals
We regularly have non-Christians at our services – Praise God…
Greater presence in Old Louisville: St. James Art Fair, Brightside CleanUp, We’ve relocated the pastor to Old Louisville
There are 5 Home Groups meeting biweekly for spiritual encouragement
There are 2 groups for young married couples meeting
Our first carols and lessons service with a reception went great…thanks to Emily and Laurel and all those who helped them…
These are just a few things in addition to all the ways God has made our fellowship deeper and sweeter, especially the way he’s used some tough situations that some of you have faced to grow our church

Church, Cowboys, Comfort, and Brett Favre’s Wranglers

2009-01-10T03:05:38Z

I will kick off the New Year with some reflection from an article I read at NBC.com on cowboy churches. YEE-HAW. There is apparently a network of cowboy churches started by the denomination of the SBC’s missions organization North American Mission Board. If that was confusing, it was intended to be. The churches are targeting cowboys by meeting in barns, having rodeo events, and playing country style worship. I am actually all for these things. What stood out was what seemed to be a justification for having a church built specifically for cowboys. The rational was repeated a couple of times–”You don’t feel judged based on how you’re dressed, how you talk, how you look. We’re not asking somebody to be something they’re not.”

I am happy these churches exist if the gospel is being proclaimed and people are coming to Christ. It just made me wonder, who would not feel comfortable if they visited our church. Then I asked, do we actually have a style? Bruce has been intentionally hijacking the music for years in order to keep us from being tied to one style (keep it up homeslice). The way folks dress seems varied and we certainly have no rules or expected code. I hope people come in and no matter what they are wearing they feel comfortable because our church is a genuinely loving church. I asked a fellow wanting to join last night the obvious question, “why?” He said because it feels like family. In an ideal world we would not need to appeal to specific styles for folk to feel comfortable. Do we have a style that does this? What should make people feel uncomfortable in church is gospel preaching that confronts their sin.

The irony of the cowboy church is I am not sure I would feel comfortable in my “casual cool” dress. However, of course every man actually wants to be a cowboy and dress like the guy in the picture at NBC. Wearing wranglers with the posse, playing football, and then riding home on your horse with six-shooter at your side is the dream. My horse’s name would be stonewall and my rodeo event, if I am honest, would probably be clown.

Some questions: 1. How do cowboy church’s think through missions concerning every-kind-of-Joe?

2. Does 3abc actually have a style? Can someone categorize us? (Okay beyond being associated with another church due East.)

3. What are the real benefits of seeking a particular group out and ordering yourself around them?

4. How has the cowboy church avoided the gender-inclusive nonsense? Is it because it is a safe place for men to be men? I think if every church’s flooring was covered in sawdust we would get past this in a year.

A Patristics Kind of Gal (coming soon)

2008-10-24T04:46:33Z

Well, due to complications Ty is now going to teach the Patristic model of spiritual femininity on Nov 9th. The next two weeks will be Ben Bartlett looking at the theology and spirituality of St Augustine. He will be overviewing Augustine’s On Christian Teaching this week and the Confessions next week. Both are Christian classics. If you have the time, please read the Confessions before the class. You will not regret it.

I think Ty might still sing “G’me a patristics gal” as an introduction so dont be late!

“Where its goin down”

2008-10-20T15:02:18Z

Last night was full of noteworthy quotes. The one in my title from new member Jason Arnold needs to be implemented by our PR committee.

I wanted to compliment Riley Byers, aka Scooter, aka Rilo, aka Gloves, aka Texas Toast, aka Big Mac, on his devotion last night. This means I want to publicly tell him how good it was and give a few side notes. First, I appreciated how he modeled a great balance between passion, personal conviction, and contemplation. Second, he had very practical ways we can love each other in the church. The moral of the story was “BE PROACTIVE.” Toby Mac has rightfully said, “love is a verb.” I am not sure what inactive love would look like, but it seems like our sinful natures desire to passively receive it or only exercise it when it is convenient. If Christ is a model of how we are to love by laying down his life, well…that says enough.

Third, Riley challenged folk to stick around after graduation and have dreams for the church. This was excellent and I whole-heartedly stand behind it. I do have another strategy that one could adopt though. You can simply take longer to finish school and free yourself up to be more involved in ministry now. Too many students, and I was the worst, take too many classes while working full-time and trying to care for families. I flew through the MDiv and missed out on some great opportunities for friendships and ministries at 3abc. It was only at the end of the MDiv and as I have stuck around longer that I have truly put the time in to be blessed by the church. So, as students are preparing to register for classes while looking at their 3 year plan, be in prayer about taking one class off for four semesters and taking an additional semester. If you are wondering what you might do with all your free time, just ask an elder.

Sin And Its Consequences

2008-10-09T20:48:13Z

When one is confronted with sin in their lives they have to make a choice between two consequences–those of repentance and the sin itself. Sin has consequences that often times are not immediately obvious to the sinner. These consequences include broken relationships with friends, family, church, and most of all God. I say they are not immediately obvious because we as sinners we are quite good at deceiving ourselves into thinking things are not that bad and simply avoid the real issues. The dilemma when wrestling with sin is God begins to feel distant from our perspective. Its easier to assume God is fine where he is things will work out with time, but we can never imagine the great gulf that has been crossed for us by Christ nor do we have the capacity to understand how our sin effects our present relationship with God.

The consequences of repentance often times seem more troublesome because if we truly set aside our old hardness, deception, and wickedness we are going to have to fess up and this makes us look bad and forces us into a seemingly awkward conversation. If God feels distant when we are living in sin, our friends feel way too close and stirring our kool-aid too much. The consequences of repentance have faces–friends, family, church members–that we have to look into and ask for forgiveness.

The beauty of choosing the consequences of repentance is an opportunity for the gospel to have a face in another brother/sister. Even more, it brings you back into a proper relationship with God. Confessing believers who choose to avoid the consequences of repentance over the consequences of sin have not truly realized the great power of sin, death, and destruction. I say confessing believers because anyone who has truly grasped, nay been gripped by the cross, understands the the power of sin and the joy of forgiveness. The fact is we must choose a set of consequences!

Will the real generous orthodox please stand up (pt2)

2008-09-25T19:04:26Z

As I have thought about my earlier post and discussed it with my brilliant wife, I realize that I need to give one more clarification as to how JC’s method differs from the other GO. Calvin’s theology has its primary goal toward being generous to God. This means he is seeking not to offend God, protect God’s holiness, set God apart from anything creaturely, defend God’s honor, and give him true worship. To give an over generalization, much theology today seems to have its primary goal in being generous to man. This means not offending others, bringing God down to everyone’s level, and magnifying our ability to comprehend him. The desire not to offend man is most commonly found in author’s not willing to admit they don’t have an answer. We do not like to offend ourselves by saying we cant figure something out. The goal of theology is to know God and live according to his precepts by his grace. I fear too often the goal of theology is to explain the difficulties of God away and not hold the tension presented in the gospel. When we walk and think by faith, we accept what God declares and this will often times mean we have to hold together two truths revealed in Scripture without having a great amount of clarity as to how they are reconciled together. JI Packer models this well in his work, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. One that I have always had trouble with is the fact that I am called to pray, God knows what I am going to ask for before I ask, and he knows all things from an eternal perspective. There are three truths that I have to believe and obey without overemphasizing one in order to explain the mind and wisdom of God.

Will the real generous orthodoxy please stand up?

2008-09-25T15:15:32Z

“What I have learned to grasp from Scripture, I speak with certainty. Since I do not reach for such a high altitude, I reverently adore with humility and trepidation that which is too sublime for even angels. Therefore, I often admonish in my writings that nothing is greater than a wise ignorance. For those who entrust themselves to know more than they should rave like madmen.”

The quote above is from John Calvin’s Secret Providence of God. I had to hold back the tears as I read it because it is so seldom that I read someone truly articulating what faith seeking understanding actually means.

Notice Scripture speaks for itself and there is a full recognition that some things revealed in Scripture are beyond our comprehension. JC keeps going back to Paul’s remarks when writing about God’s sovereignty, “Oh the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Rom 11:33) If the Apostle who was called up into the third heaven cannot even begin to understand much less use words to describe the great wisdom and majesty of God, how can we? The air in most theology today reeks of trying to explain God in whole and reduce his nature, wisdom, and ways to be too much like ours. There is no bold humility that says I cannot know this or that or God is truly beyond me. When this humility is lost, you also lose orthodoxy because God will all the sudden be much too human. Some theologians are no longer obeying the boundaries of Orthodoxy when it comes to God. They rush in and try to explain the infinite Triune God with finite words and minds. This is the raving madness JC refers to.

The irony in all this is we can be much more bold once we realize our limitations and how much greater God is than man. We can accept there are things we will not know until Christ comes back and even then, our limited hearts, minds, and souls will only be filled to the brim with awe and wonder. How we worship in church today should be looking forward to that and yearning for it. Mysteries are largely avoided in worship today because we typically don’t like to talk about anything we can explain in full. Scripture calls us to swim in the deeps that we cannot reach and only here will true worship take place.

Notice also that JC calls for a wise ignorance. Someone please email our church if you have ever heard this advocated. This is different from ignorant wisdom which tries to seek the best life without being informed. Wise ignorance is having the right perception of what is right for us to believe and obey, and to know where we simply cannot go. We are not to follow the motto of the scientific age that says boldly go where no man has gone before.

Contemporary gobbledy-gook has taken us too far in denying certain clear truths in Scripture because they do not sit easy in our culture. This is where I fault the other generous orthodoxy for not having enough wisdom to know what to boldly confess from Scripture. Homosexuality, hell, adultery, divorce, one salvation in Christ alone are examples of pulpiteers punting where Scripture says its 4th and 1 and we have a fullback better than Tom Rathman who can get the yards. Or for those who do not speak football, declare what Scripture declares and trust the Spirit to bless your Words rather than trusting your own wisdom to explain or redefine what Scripture says. Its not easy to confess these things, but its what Scripture commands and the Spirit blesses.

Discipleship at 3abc

2008-09-23T01:39:16Z

All Christians are called to be watchful for other church members and to be watched over by other church members. We call this disicpleship. What that actually looks like from relationship to relationship can be quite different. Some folk want to talk about their lives with others, some want to discuss the latest theological trends, and lets face it, some people want to talk about other people (not discipleship). An issue we have at our little church is that there are not that many seasoned folk. Most of us are close in age (the difference is typically no more than 10 years) and are in the same stage of life. Ideally, the talking about your life scenario would have someone who is beyond a certain point of life who can reflect upon it and give advice to the young buck right in the middle of it. Likewise, the young buck would encourage the older with zeal and enthusiasm. It would be a win-win-win.

I think what our church needs is to be willing to wrestle through stages of life with one another so that failing with one another is acceptable and forgiving one another is a routine part of our life. The point being that often times we need the accountability of others to fulfill the commands of Christ and there is no better way than to do them together. I can look back and see how many different Christians modeled either love, boldness, zeal, or something else that I lacked and gave me the courage and strength to obey Christ because I saw them do it. Our long lost brother Aaron Menikoff (see Atlanta’s Who’s Who) was a great model for me over the past few years. I thought about him in a particular situation Ifound myself in recently. We had a single person visiting our church and he/she wanted to join but was concerned about how few singles their were in our church. I asked myself, what would Aaron do in this situation. I actually sat this person down and explained to him/her that we needed the singles to be brave enough to join so others would have someone to join with. I would have never done that 2 years ago, and many are saying I shouldn’t have done it then.

Aaron and I never met in any official capacity and had no organized structure for our discipleship. It was, however, the a very influential relationship for me because we simply lived life together and I got to watch him do things I lacked the courage to do. So what am I saying? Aaron, you complete me.

Our lives are busy and the idea of sitting down to coffee weekly with a Joe or June in light of all our other commitments seems too difficult. Therefore, I propose we think about discipleship as more informal which will require being more transparent and actively doing something for the kingdom together. This would be inviting others to be in your home with you while you go through your routine, inviting to go run errands with you, and most of all, asking others to come with you when you are going to go share the gospel or care for another brother or sister. The latter is where I want to give a strong challenge to our members. Fulfill the great commission together. I believe this will prove to be the most blessed discipleship relationship you could have.

College 101

2008-09-13T03:43:06Z

Below is a post from Justin Taylor’s blog. He sums up and links to another blog some helpful advice for college students. If you read the comments, you will see most added buy a mac and join a church. One of these additions will boost your hipness potential, the other your faithfulness:

John Mark Reynolds has a helpful column here offering 10 tips for college students getting ready for Fall.

What follows is the barebones outline, but if the topic is of interest, you’ll want to read the whole thing.

1. Ignore advice to “remake” yourself the first day you get to college.

2. Do something each week that puts you in contact with people older and younger than your peer group.

3. If you have a decent relationship with your parents keep it up.

4. If you are going to college, then go. You are in college to learn. In America, education often includes getting a job skill, but should also be about becoming a good, civilized citizen.

5. Find a faculty mentor during your first year.

6. Take classes that are hard from full-time professors that love to teach.

7. Secretaries and support staff are overworked, underpaid, and very powerful. You should be good to them out of virtue, but you must do it to thrive. The friendship you make with the department secretary now will pay dividends over the years. (One way I judge the character of a student is by how they treat the support staff.)8. Books are not yet antiques. Go to the library. Talk to librarians. They are faculty members that are often under-utilized.

9. Don’t be too quick to pick a major, but try to do so by the end of the first year.10. Live like an adult in college which includes moderating your passions.

My reflections on KB

2008-09-12T14:21:50Z

Well, I was hoping for someone else to bite the line, but… I think the gal has said a lot of helpful things. Let me walk through some strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths: Barth is right that we should be gracious to college students. We need to realize that we have at some point let down others and not kept our responsibilities. I know I was very bad at this in my adolescence (I am all grown up now?). I like that there is a fair warning about trying to make others like us as we spend time with them. This must be avoided no matter the age group.

Weaknesses: Barth does not give college students enough credit or responsibility to live as young adults. The college years are important for development and I hope Christians would make themselves available for questions, problems, etc. The church should seek to challenge college students in their faith. College ministry should not seek to entertain so good numbers show up. A church should preach straight-forward hard truths from Scripture challenging students to grow in their faith. Barth talks about expecting to bore them, okay. What I think we should do is get to know them and raise the bar of expectations for them. This of course is done with the gospel at the center of every conversation and challenge.

All Christians should commit themselves to a church covenant that calls for right living in a community of other Christians that will keep you accountable. This invites others into our lives to help us live in a manner worthy of the gospel.

All Christians need to be discipled and held accountable in order to help them not live within their own lies and self-created world. This is what we believe sin does to the heart. It causes us to lie to ourselves so that we think we are okay no matter what the situation is. We think the problem is usually someone else’s, but this is rarely the case. Sinners need to be cared for in such a way that the gospel is present in our lives and our self-deception is corrected. While college students are maturing and starting to become who they will be for the rest of their lives, they need to be confronted, exhorted, encouraged, and cared for with God’s Word so that they can begin exercising and growing in Christlikeness. With Barth’s warnings, this seems out of bounds. High expectations is necessary for all Christians and the gospel must always be part of the conversation so that forgiveness is ready at hand and the true aim is always present. Otherwise high expectations lead to moralism and self-righteousness.

Bottom line is we all need correction from others using God’s Word, college students not only fit into “all” but their time in life is important because they are being molded into who they will be as husbands, wives, parents, and most importantly disciples and evangelists of Christ.

Sex, pornography, marriage and the gospel

2008-09-08T20:11:45Z

“A lot of teenagers develop their sexuality with pornography, and then find that relational sex isn’t as satisfying, Weiss said. Porn gives them a “very strong chemical hit,” and alters ways of thinking about sex, somewhat like the classic “ring the bell, feed the dog” stimulus-response mechanism. Addicts thus learn to become sexually attached to objects, and have trouble getting the same kind of satisfaction from sex in a relationship, he [Mark Schwartz] said.”

Well, here we are at a very conservative Baptist church and there is a post on pornography and sexual addiction. Pornography is a real issue the church must address and God gave us sex. A preacher at my alma mater once declared, “sex is good!” However, it is only good when enjoyed within God’s boundaries. Isn’t that the case with everything? Think of these good things and their corresponding sins: food-gluttony; money-greed or theft; self image-pride and arrogance. Concerning sex, it can be a great gift from God, but I often feel as if the boundaries for it are lost in the world at large and even the church.

The quote above is from a CNN article on sexual addiction that is pointing out how many young folk are hindering and even ruining their chances at meaningful relationships in the future. I believe it was Karl Barth who said depravity is the only empirically verifiable doctrine (everyone can see evil exists). The world can see there is a problem with how people are approaching sexual activity, but it cannot ultimately understand the heart of the problem or the ultimate solution. Without understanding that God has created sex for a specific context–marriage–and that we have a bend in our hearts so that we take all of God’s good gifts and abuse them to a perverse end, the world will not be able to offer these sex addicts, or any other addict, any real relief. All the world can see is that it is dangerous, not how perverse this twist is. We were created to enjoy marriage and we as sinners give that up for a picture and a fantasy? The only worse exchange than this in history was giving up a right relationship with God for a lie that we can be our own God.

The gospel is the only thing that can heal, bring forgiveness to, and correct what all can see as dangerous behavior. The gospel is God revealing to man what God’s right order is and should be. It is God becoming man to die for our perversion of and rebellion against that right order. The gospel tells us that God sends his Spirit to empower us to repent and live within God’s right rule where life will truly be enjoyed.

If you are a yute (see My Cousin Vinny), please realize that your purity and innocence is a precious gift from God that once lost is never fully recovered. You can be forgiven, but you experiences are a part of who you are. Your sin has consequences. God’s order for you is to be patient and disciplined as you wait for God’s provision of a partner. If we were still in the Eden stage, you probably would not be expected to wait as long as our Western world prescribes. Don’t date Jesus, worship him as the God who saved you and trust he will send the one you should date, court, whatever.

If you are married, this is just as critical. The temptation does not get any easier, and the stakes are as high because you are with the person God has provided for you. You can ruin that relationship with where you let you eyes and mind go. Your satisfaction and enjoyment are at stake. Love your spouse purely as Christ loved the church.

A reply from a college grad gal

2008-09-05T17:53:39Z

Here is a response to the post below regarding this statement, “Do not be surprised or annoyed or upset if you necessarily find that they have no time, or little time, for you, that no matter how well-intentioned you may be toward them, or sure of your cause, you sometimes inconvenience and bore them, and they casually ignore you and your counsel.”

Well, no offense to the author, but I find this point a little belittling to college kids. It reminds me of youth ministers who think that youth are only capable of enjoying a Bible lesson if it has lights, fun, food and drama. I think I would have been offended to read this as a college student. (Although, being easily offended by things isn’t a high virtue…) I think college students are adult-age and should be treated as such, especially within the church. Does it mean we should go looking to bore them? Well, no, but we shouldn’t go looking to bore anyone. Christianity isn’t boring. If they aren’t seeking accountability or discipleship and have time for everything else but that, then something is wrong. Are they a Christian? Then this should be addressed for what it is. You can’t be surprised or annoyed. This could happen with Christians who are well out of college. People are people. Sinners are sinners.

So, I guess… if we are being boring. We need to start reading and living our Bibles more, right? If college kids are only wanting to be around college kids, then maybe we should teach more on what a Body of Christ looks like… diverse and with every part united under its head. Inconvenience them? I would imagine that a Christian college student would be thrilled if a passionate Christian pursued time with them, including them in family events and mentoring/training them up in righteousness and providing counsel based on God’s Word and life wisdom. If they aren’t a Christian, sure they might be bored. But, so would a non-christian 50 year old… until the Spirit works on their heart… they are dead in their sins after all. For the Christians, we should expect more from them and treat them like we would other relationships within the body. I think they’ll catch on, even if it’s new to them and they haven’t been treated that way by Christians from other age categories. We should not be marked by being annoyed or surprised, even though it is a temptation when pursuing discipleship with anyone who seems bored, busy or disinteresed. We should be prayerful, passionate and persistent. And, if they aren’t teachable or responsive… tell an elder. Pass it on and find someone who is ready to grow! Along the way, I’m sure the college student could teach the disciple-R a lots as well!

A model of discipleship for college students?

2008-08-30T15:13:17Z

The following is advice from Karl Barth (one of the greatest minds of the 20th century) on how older folk in the church should care for the younger. Email us what you think (info@thirdavenue.org). I would like to post some comments from others. As you read them, ask what Biblical texts are assumed or ignored in these statements. Of course I have comments to follow. (Maybe one of the ghosts from 3abc’s past might send us a thought or two?)

Realize that younger people of both sexes, whether relatives or close in other ways, have a right to go their own ways according to their own (and not your) principles, ideas, and desires, to gain their own experiences, and to find happiness in their own (and not your) fashion.
Do not force upon them, then, your own example or wisdom or inclinations or favors.
Do not bind them in any way to yourself or put them under any obligation.
Do not be surprised or annoyed or upset if you necessarily find that they have no time, or little time, for you, that no matter how well-intentioned you may be toward them, or sure of your cause, you sometimes inconvenience and bore them, and they casually ignore you and your counsel.
When they act in this way, remember penitently that in your own youth you, too, perhaps (or probably) acted in the same way toward the older authorities of the time.
Be grateful for every proof of genuine notice and serious confidence they show you, but do not expect or demand such proofs.
Never in any circumstances give them up, but even as you let them go their own way, go with them in a relaxed and cheerful manner, trusting that God will do what is best for them, and always supporting and praying for them.

From A Late Friendship: The Letters of Karl Barth and Carl Zuckmayer (Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley; Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982), 45.

About the prayers

2008-08-29T14:18:04Z

Well, I am all out of prayers from the 4th century bishop of Nazianzus. I hope they were a blessing. I appreciated how he committed his day to be a sacrifice to the Lord (Rom 12:1-2), he repented in constant failure as a sinner, and even moreso, how his desire for obedience was wrapped up in the person and work of Christ.

He closes the first prayer with “my delight, my Christ: you bring it home.” What a wonderful meditation. The aim and goal of the heart is set apart and the means by which one accomplishes any kind of obedience is clear. Only Christ can give us the grace and strength to allow us to come home from a day without falling into our temptations. Notice also that the chief enemy is our sin and passion within, not someone or something outside of us.

In the second prayer he calls Christ his light in contrast to the darkness that he has surrounded himself with in his sins. The failure is Greg’s and his sin is primarily against Christ. It is Christ that forgives and gives new life.

Finally, the last prayer closes with a command to himself to remember his salvation. What peace this brings to us as we recognize our failures and look to prayer the first prayer of consecrating the new day to Christ. If we do not remember the gospel for our past failures, we will not have the courage to approach a new day in his grace and will enter the day already having lost the battle.

I hope this was an encouragement for how we ought to pray, live in obedience, rand repent of our sins according to the gospel.

A prayer for our failures yesterday from 4th cent

2008-08-28T17:38:11Z

Yesterday, Christ, turned out a total loss!

Rage came upon me, all at once, and took me.

Let me live this day as a day of light.

Gregory, look–be mindful, think of God!

You swore you would; remember your salvation!

An Evening Prayer

2008-08-27T23:05:29Z

O Truth, O Word, this morning I deceived you,

Marking this day as yours by consecration!

Night finds me now not fully in the light,

Although I prayed and hoped that might be so;

My feet have strayed and stumbled here and there.

The dark has come, begrudging me salvation.

Be light for me, O Christ–shine here once more!

A Morning Prayer from a 4th century Christian

2008-08-27T02:11:47Z

At dawn, I raise my hand in oath to God:

I shall not do or praise the deeds of darkness.

Rather, this day shall be my sacrifice;

I shall remain unshaken, rule my passions.

My age would shame me, if I were to sin,

As would this alter over which I stand.

Thus my desire, my Christ: you bring it home!

(From Brian Daley. Gregory of Nazianzus. London: Routledge Press, 2006, 170.)

Journey or Ticket

2008-08-27T02:05:08Z

As I listen to messages today I find a new lingo for what it means to be a Christian. In the past we talked about being born-again, committing your life to Christ, and surrendering all. Today we like to talk about taking a journey together.

What I am curious about is in the past there was an emphasis upon that one time decision that we would call personal conversion. It was likened to getting one’s “ticket” to heaven. If you wanted to place your faith in Christ, it simply required believing in a serious of facts (death, burial, resurrection) and praying a prayer. The moment of repentance and faith was clear. I find this new lingo often, not always, leaving out the explicit need for conversion or a moment of faith. I am hearing about bringing people to church so they can share our journey together but it is not always clear to me what kind of journey this is.

I heard a message geared to college students at a large evangelical church over the summer (I made myself wait months before I posted on it) that was supposed to be a talk on discipleship (Luke 14:25-27). The speaker never mentioned repentance or denying oneself or even placing one’s faith in Christ as necessary for discipleship. Discipleship was boiled down to walking together as a people with a common identity.

Now, I like the fact that the church is thought of as a people with a common identity. But what in the world is it except for a people who have repented of their sins, believed in Christ, and therefore, commit to one another because they are all children of God in Christ.

So why the post? The past lingo could be faulted for not emphasizing discipleship and ignoring the need for surrounding oneself with other believers after getting the “ticket.” The present lingo could be faulted with moving past the need to make one’s faith commitment to Christ explicit and necessary. I simply want us to be aware and clear in what we are declaring about the gospel. It is a personal faith in Christ and what he has accomplished for us so that we repent of our old life and commit to walk with other Christians. In other words, take the “ticket” and enjoy the ride.

Welcome U of L students

2008-08-25T21:09:59Z

School is back in session. Welcome back U of L students. If you are looking for a church home, we are located one block from the campus. Our service time is 10:45am.

On the first Sunday of the month we serve college students lunch at 1pm. (Sept 7 and 21–this month we will do it twice).

We also lead Crusade Bible studies on campus on Monday and Wednesday evenings. If you are interested in participating in these please call us or come to the Crusade meeting on Thursday night to find out more information. Ask for Andy.

We are a church that is trying to be active as evangelists on the campus. We also want to invite students into our lives and homes to care for them. We do not have a separate worship or class for college students because we want you all to be part of the church body. We believe the church is to be made up of all types and ages so we can learn to walk together by faith.

We look forward to meeting you and will be cheering for Hunter Cantwell to lead the Cards to a Big East title.

Principles & Practices for Church Reform

2008-08-21T16:34:06Z

I would like to point your attention to a series of blog posts over at 9Marks by our former Greg Gilbert entitled “Church Reform When You’re Not The Pastor“. If you’ve been a member of this church for some time, some of these posts will bring back memories of former days here at 3ABC. It’s been good to reflect on how these principles and practices proved true in the life of 3ABC. But all-in-all it’s been God’s grace to see that 3ABC should prosper through a difficult reform.

1. Reform is easier in a small church than in a large one.

2. Do what Christians do – love.

3. Make yourself a help, not a problem, to your church’s leader.

4. Aspire to leadership.

5. Have conversations with people – lots of them.

6. Train other leaders. Aim for majorities.

7. Show up to the meeting with a completed idea. Then let go of it.

8. Decide what’s crucial. Be willing to compromise on the rest.

9. Talk alot with those most opposed. Make a good-faith effort to alleviate their concerns.

Third In Five Announcement

2008-08-18T17:20:07Z

I wanted to make an announcement about a special Third in Five session that’s going to be offered this Friday evening, 22nd, beginning at 6pm at the church. (Parking is available behind the church and enter through the backdoor. We will also offer childcare and Starbucks Coffee.) In this session, we are going to cover all three of the five required membership courses for those interested in joining in September. Even if you aren’t interested in joining in Sept. but are wanting to know more about us then I would encourage you to come. We will be discussing our Statement of Faith, Church Covenant, and answer the question “Why Join a Church?”.

If you plan on visiting any time in the near future then feel free to sit in on our Third in Five course that begins every Sunday morning at 9:45. It’s a way for you to get to know something about Third Avenue Baptist in five weeks.

Please email us here with any other questions.

Love God

2008-08-08T16:03:18Z

This past Sunday evening I had the privilege of preaching from Deut. 10:12-13; one of the best passages from the OT. It is probably the best summary of Deuteronomy’s message to the nation of Israel. I spent the last half of my sermon listing four descriptions that help explain what exactly it means when we are commanded to “love God” (Deut. 4:37; 5:10; 6:4-5; 7:9, 12-13; 10:12-13, 15, 18; 23:5; 33:3). I would like to share them here.

A. It is unique to the God of the Bible. There is no other world, religion where you find this commandment. It wasn’t true for the pagan idols in Israel’s time nor is it now. Allah does not command Muslims to love him. He commands them to fear and obey him but not love him. So this commandment is unique because it reflects the covenantal relationship between God and his people. Only God chose and redeemed his people in love; thus, it is not unexpected that they would love him in return. After all what does the New Testament say but that “We love because he first loved us.”

B. It encompasses a person’s entire being. We see this partially in 10:13. But we find it elsewhere that we are to love God with all of our “heart, soul, and might.” Every last ounce of our inner being, with all of our emotions and will are to be fixed upon God. Furthermore, we love God with a rational love. Our intellect is informed about God and directed toward him. And, lastly, all of our physical capacities and functions should be expressed in such a way that shows we are concerned about God’s name being honored. So we love God with our entire being.

C. It is the summary and foundation of the entire law. Jesus himself cites a similar command from Deut. 6:4-5 stating that the entire law is summarized and founded upon this covenantal love between God and his people. God is not finally concerned about whether or not our religion is about following a list of dos and don’ts. He is concerned about the heart. He desires a heart that obeys out of love and faith. He tells Israel to circumcise their hearts (10:17). (Which leads to the last description.)

D. It is demonstrated in obedience. This was true of Jesus who perfectly loved and obeyed God. And it ought to be true of us. We show that we love God when we obey him. But no longer is God’s law in a wooden box but on our hearts. So our hearts love to obey him. And our obedience testifies to the truth of the gospel in our lives – that by faith we live a transformed life in obedience to God…that we have been saved to good works. It is the identifying marker that we have come to know God and have been born of God.

What a Lesson!

2008-08-08T15:40:06Z

How do you fight against the sin of pride, fear of man, and distrust of God? Learn from Job when God spoke the following humbling reminder in Job 38.

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Dress for action like a man;
   I will question you, and you make it known to me. 4“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
   Tell me, if you have understanding.
5Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
   Or who stretched the line upon it?
6On what were its bases sunk,
   or who laid its cornerstone,
7when the morning stars sang together
   and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8“Or who shut in the sea with doors
   when it burst out from the womb,
9when I made clouds its garment
   and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10and prescribed limits for it
   and set bars and doors,
11and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
   and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

12“Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
   and caused the dawn to know its place,
13that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,
   and the wicked be shaken out of it?
14It is changed like clay under the seal,
   and its features stand out like a garment.
15From the wicked their light is withheld,
   and their uplifted arm is broken.

16“Have you entered into the springs of the sea,
   or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
   or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
   Declare, if you know all this.