TomMesser.com

Vintage Marriage

 

Early on in my sermon study for Sunday, I know that it is either going to be a fairly normal prep or that I am going to be dealing with some difficult passages or subject matter. Often it is a little of both. I have begun a series, as I typically do in the spring, on marriage. This year my theme centers on "Vintage Marriage," and covers the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ on marriage, divorce, and singleness.

 

I am reading two really interesting and helpful books to augment my normal study and sermon prep: This Momentary Marriage by John Piper (which I am reading on my new iPad 2!) and Divorce: Before you Say "I Don't" by Lou Priolo. The latter was given to me by our staff counselor and has some helpful insights.

 

Why should we teach and preach on issues such as marriage, divorce, singleness, and sex? It is simple to me: if a subject is in God's word we should study it. It is clear that the Bible speaks often about the marriage relationship and if we ignore what it says we are ignoring God's revelation. 

 

Additionally, in light of the fact that so many of my congregation are single, I believe that it is better to know about the subject of marriage before you get married. God's word will make you wiser and will help to shape your thinking so that it conforms with God's truth.

 

Finally, many people have a distorted view of marriage because of their experiences and the example that has been set befor them. When we see what the designer of marriage said about marriage we can correct our view and align our expectations and behaviors with the reality of God's word.

 

You can watch or listen to my series on line by viewing our On-Demand Services. There is great joy in seeing our marriages reflect the glory of God and watching people grow in their commitment to the family.

 

Healthy Church Life - Part 1

A few weeks ago, Trinity Baptist College hosted our first "Church Life Conference." I had the opportunity to share with the pastors in attendance about the challenge God has impressed on my heart: Healthy Church Life.

In 2008, I began teaching through the book of Acts and God began to do something in the hearts and lives of myself and our people. As I studied Acts one thing became clear and became sort of a motto for that series and our ministry - The local church was at its healthiest when the life of Jesus was flowing, unrestrained, through the church.

While I  in no way see the church as dead, ineffective or a lost cause in today's culture, I do see many signs that the health of our local churches needs to be restored. External pressures and the godlessness of society are a timeless and constant challenge in the work of God, yet rarely are they at the source of the weakening of our local congregations or our church movements at large. In fact, the opposite is most often the case. When the external persecution comes, historically the church has flourished, grown and the power of God has been magnified.

I'm convinced that declining or stagnant health in our churches and movements has to do with an internal shift of our focus. As church leaders, we often put more passion and strategy into church politics than the spread of the gospel.

We need to only look as far as the books of Acts to see that this unhealthy internal drift is not unique to our generation. The first church in Acts dealt with two major internal issues:

• Internal Hypocrisy (Acts 5:1-11)  - Ananias and Sapphira were pretending to be something that they were not and God hates that kind of behavior.  
• Internal Dissension (Acts 6:1-7)  - There was tension in the church over the way that ministry was being done. The Grecians were at odds with the Hebrews over the care of the widows. 

These problems brought to a halt the life of Jesus that once flowed through the church. I think these issues have risen to the surface again in our movement today. I'm going to discuss in the next three posts how the church in Acts responded in order to restore health in church life. I would appreciate your comments and feedback on this post and healthy church life. I believe a right-spirited discussion is helpful for all of us.

Part 2: Clarify the Gospel
Part 3: Honest Conversation
Part 4: Forward Momentum

Is the Independent Baptist Movement at a Crossroad? Part 1

Over the last several years, pastors have talked with me about my perception of the state of the independent Baptist movement.
 
After years of ministry, and having a passion for pastors and congregations around our country, I do see the independent Baptist movement at a unique crossroad as we enter the second decade of this millennium. There are significant issues that must be addressed if we are going to impact the world in decades to come. They are:

• The historic, unifying leadership of the independent Baptist movement has passed off the scene, leaving a leadership vacuum that has led to a more fractured and divisive movement.
• Because of the age of a large percentage of our pastors, a significant transition of pastoral leadership will continue to occur in our churches over the next 10-15 years.
• We have growing challenges in both missions and church planting. We are not starting enough churches to keep up with population growth or replacing the churches that are closing, and our missionaries are struggling to raise needed support to get to the field.

I am committed to doctrinal purity, the autonomy of the local church and the historical focus of the independent Baptist movement. I’m also deeply committed to working towards solutions to the realities mentioned above that will reach more people for Jesus Christ than ever before.  The thousands of independent Baptist churches around our country can begin something bigger than one personality or church, and transform our communities and the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I will be explaining and talking about solutions to some of these thoughts in multiple posts in the days ahead. I welcome any thoughts or observations you have on these issues in the comments section below.