December 21, 2008
Baptist Is Bible ,
Part 2
We’re looking in these days at what it means to be
Baptist. With so many groups of Baptists, styles of Baptist worship,
and names of Baptist churches, what does it mean to say that we are
Baptist? There are eight distinct Bible beliefs that make us
Baptist. I want to speak about four of them today. You can remember
them with the acrostic B-A-P-T-I-S-T.
Biblical Authority - In short, we believe that the
Bible is without error—all of it. All of it has been inspired by God
and preserved by God. It is His mandate for mankind and is to be
taken as valid and true. It is a book to be obeyed and not just
read. Consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 1:20-21.
Autonomy of the Local Church - Long before the
independent Baptist movement, Baptist churches held true to the fact
that every Baptist church is autonomous, or self-governing.
Everything needed to govern the church resides within each church.
As such, there is no higher assembly or hierarchy from which she
gets her direction. Neither does she get her guidance from social
governments or mandates. She answers directly to Christ, and thereby
she cannot be a member of any other body. Consider Matthew 16:18 and
Colossians 1:18.
Priesthood of the Believer - A priest is one who has
the God-given right to perform rites of religion between God and
man. Each believer in Christ Jesus has the right to perform his own
devotion to God. No other mediator is needed apart from Jesus, His
Christ. We can study God’s word, pray, and worship without the
assistance of others. Consider 1 Peter 2:5,9 and Revelation 5:9-10.
Two Ordinances - The church collectively assembled,
and only the church, has been instructed to conduct two ordinances
(or observances). Baptism of believers by immersion after salvation,
marking the person with an outward testimony of God’s inward work,
is unique to Baptists. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, has been
imparted to the assembled church as a remembrance of Christ’s body
and blood that was sacrificed for our sin. Consider Matthew 28:19-20
and 1 Corinthians 11:23-32.
We’ll consider the final four next week. Such Bible
truths make me joyful to be Baptist, for Baptist is Bible.
Bro. Shawn
Submitted by Bayou Drive
Baptist Church
December 14, 2008
Baptist Is Bible
We have always taught that we are Christians by
conversion and Baptists by conviction. That means that we are not
here to promote our Baptist denomination. At the same time, we are
Baptist by the very fact that Baptist doctrine holds more true to
Bible doctrine than any other denominational preference.
I thought it would be interesting for you to note
some famous Baptists throughout history.
Abraham Lincoln - 16th President of the United States
Andrew Johnson - 17th President of the United States
Alexander I - Russian Czar, 1777-1825
Newt Gingrich - Former U. S. Speaker of the House
John Bunyan - Author of The Pilgrims Progress, 1678
Charles Spurgeon - “Prince of Preachers” from the 19th century
Lottie Moon - 4’3” Southern Baptist Missionary to China
Roy Moore - former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court
Reggie White - Football player and ordained minister
Gene Roddenberry - Creator of Star Trek
Chuck Norris - actor
Mike Huckabee - Governor of Arkansas
While we know some of these to be more faithful than
others, I want you to see that your faith has had a strong heritage.
Some of the world’s strongest leaders have held to Bible truth.
My question for you today is not whether you are
Baptist, but whether you are a Christian. But if you are in Christ,
why not join those that believe that the Bible is the sole authority
for life and practice?
Bro. Shawn
Submitted by Bayou Drive
Baptist Church
December 7, 2008
What Will You Do for Christ?
I trust you have been following us all year as we
have emphasized our annual theme on Sunday nights, “Occupy till I
come.” God has not saved us to sit, but rather to serve. We are all
to be servants in various capacities to work in the Body of Christ.
We always associate the great commission with
salvation, but did you know that it has just as much to do with
service? “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world”
(Matthew 28:19-20).
Notice the words of this command. “Go” and “teach”
are imperative. God’s work cannot be done
unless there are active participants. What are you doing to go out
into the world and teach others? Is your life’s goal to get up, go
to work, come home, and go to bed, only to do it all over again the
next day?
Notice the work of this command. It is a salvation
and discipleship. The commentary of Matthew’s words, “teach all
nations,” found in Mark’s account, says, “preach the gospel to every
creature.” That is the work of evangelism, or getting the good news
of Christ into the ears of sinners. But this commission also tells
us that we are to teach them to observe (obey) all things that He
had previously commanded us. Discipleship is not an activity, it is
an attitude. We should be constantly teaching others in our homes,
in our church, and in our communities the spirit of a born-again
child of the King. Can you think of just three people on whom you
are having a spiritual impact, either for salvation or growth? What
about your spouse, children or grandchildren, church friends, or
co-workers?
But also notice the wonder of this command. He says,
“and, lo, I am with you alway.” We can do what needs to be done
because Christ Himself is doing it in us and through us. We cannot
claim to be saved while claiming to be unable to serve Christ. To
say so is to confess that Christ is not working in us.
What has changed in your life this year as you have
been challenged from God’s Word to occupy until your Savior returns?
Surely you are doing more for Him now than you were before. Consider
His great command.
Bro. Shawn
Submitted by Bayou Drive
Baptist Church
November 30, 2008
The Goal of Christianity
 Great
motivators encourage us to set goals for life. They tell us that if
we aim for nothing, we’ll hit it. So let me ask you, what are you
trying to get out of your Christian life? What is your goal in being
a Christian? Sadly, many haven’t thought about it, and “nothing” is
exactly what they have achieved.
For others, their goal is heaven--a peace that
somewhere in the future I’m going to have some place to call home.
But for these believers, Christianity has no immediate consequence.
They’ve already obtained their goal. They’re just waiting for the
“pay out.” With that mind set, these tend to be lazy, uninterested,
and unconcerned for others.
Still others have some kind of social agenda in
Christianity. Getting as many people saved as possible; making
society a better place to live; or promoting their denominational
empire; these are all reasons why people promote their “religion.”
We would probably support many of these agendas at times. At the
same time, with such an agenda, would it surprise us that there is
such a high rate of burnout in Christian service? People don’t
respond as we would want. Or our “growth strategy” begins to lag, or
even worse, diminish.
I ran across a verse on Tuesday that seemed to
fulfill my goal for my Christian life. Jeremiah, writing from a
wounded and discouraged heart, says, “The Lord is my portion”
(Lamentations 3:24). Shouldn’t He be our goal--His presence, His
Spirit, and manifestation? With Him, Heaven is a given conclusion.
He’ll promote His own social agendas. And He never lets me down. I’d
suggest that when He becomes the goal of the Christian life,
everything else seems to fall in place.
Space does not permit me to tell of how Jesus
explained Himself as the way; all who come to Him He will not cast
out; He is our joy and comfort; He is the great shepherd that
provides peace; and He is the Word and our Salvation. Suffice it to
say, it’s time we get back to Him being the object of our affection.
On another note, it is with great affection that I
can tell you how excited I was to celebrate my 15th wedding
anniversary this week with the most wonderful woman in the world.
Our early years were a treasure trove of wonderfully new discovery.
But I wouldn’t trade those years for the friendship love we enjoy
today. She has proven to be a great help to me and a benefit to this
church. Get by sometime today and let her know what a blessing she
has been to you as well.
Bro. Shawn
Submitted by Bayou Drive
Baptist Church
November 23, 2008
Making the Grade...
 It's
that time of year when school students are preparing for mid-term
exams, expecting to be tested on an entire semester’s worth of
curriculum. I was wondering what it would be like for Christians to
have some kind of mid-term, or mid-life, spiritual exam. How would
you score if you received a final exam from the Lord like this one?
We know the Christian life can’t be graded this
simply, but aren’t you glad God doesn’t give exams? At the same
time, as complex as faith may be, don’t you wish God ranked your
spiritual growth this simplistically?
Bro. Shawn
Submitted by Bayou Drive
Baptist Church
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