The Good News for the World

The Great Commission (or Jesus' famous last words) gets a lot of press among evangelicals, and rightly so.  After all Jesus was giving his disciples and us marching orders.  Although opinions may vary on the primary aim of the local church, most agree that making disciples through the gospel is of utmost importance.  But what is "the gospel?"  [there is actually a nice little volume by the same title]

In case you are unfamiliar with it, let me give you a brief summary of the gospel:

The gospel is the good news that actually starts with some pretty bad news.  Mankind is completely ruined because of sin.  Because of our sin we all face the judgement and wrath of God, and rightly so.  There are no good deeds or religious acts that we can do to make ourselves acceptable to God.  However, God in His grace and mercy provided a way for our sin to be removed and His wrath to be appeased through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus lived a perfect life and died sacrificially on the cross in the place of sinners. In demonstration of victory and power, Jesus was raised from the dead.  His sacrifice for our sins was totally sufficient and accepted by God the Father.  Everyone recognizing their hopeless condition, their offense of sin against God, turning from their sinful/selfish life and believing in Jesus Christ - they will be "saved" and made right with God. Jesus takes our sin and we receive His perfect righteousness when we repent and believe.  Believing in Jesus is the expression of faith, resting one's entire life on what Jesus accomplished by His sinless life, purposeful death and victorious resurrection.  Having come to believe in Jesus, the "born again" Christian will remain a faithful follower of Jesus forever.  All of this is a gracious work of God.

Perhaps more could be said about the gospel and one can certainly elaborate some of the details.  But the heart of this truth is seen in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This is the good news that we are commissioned to share, it is for the whole world.  I noticed that in addition to the US, there are individuals from many other countries who find there way to this blog.  While I suspect most visit here without genuine interest in my thoughts, I understand the power of the gospel and the reach of the Internet.  So I publish this post in an effort to reach the world with the good news.  My prayer is that someone will read this wonderful truth and embrace Jesus as Savior and Lord.  To the glory of God!

Church Web Page

Our church has a slightly better than average web page. I know this because I have visited many. A dear friend of our ministry designed the page and it has been updated in recent months by some of our tech-savvy members. I am so thankful that they also contribute to our ministry by maintaining the information.

Our page is not nearly as flashy as some and a bit more informative than others. It provides all the necessary information if someone is seeking a church in the Louisville, KY area. Actually our church, which is Southern Baptist, is located in Prospect, KY just a few minutes outside of Louisville.

I am trying to understand the best way to use this high-tech tool that seemingly has so much potential. Is it reasonable to think that our congregation could use the Internet to reach the world? Don't get me wrong, I would not suggest that simply putting up a web page could replace our genuine obedience to the Great Commission. But, through the mechanism known as the "Information Super Highway," the gospel can be shared with untold numbers of people. That is one of the reasons we post our sermons online.

Church web pages are considered by many to be a must in today's culture. Certainly there are others who have not taken this step. Some of the naysayers are hesitant because they would never do anything that resembles "marketing" for fear of looking too much like the world. To me this seems a little short-sighted.

What do you think, are web pages a necessity for the modern-day church? Are churches that refuse to get on board with technology destined to die a slow death? Could God use this medium for His glory and the spread of the Gospel? I am interested to hear your thoughts and comments.

SBC 2009 Annual Meeting

This week I attended my first Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. Reflecting on the sermons, the motions, the resolutions and the great fellowship, I must say it was a very solid experience. Here's why:

* The focus of the meeting was the Great Commission. After all, the SBC was organized for the purpose of missions. It is very encouraging to hear that this emphasis is still in the forefront of SBC life and even getting a closer examination in the coming months.

* Several of the sermons were preached with a genuine passion and excitement for missions and evangelism. It is very stirring to hear preachers, young and old, getting fired up about reaching lost people with the only message that could ever bring hope and change.

* I heard about real Southern Baptists who have risked it all for the cause of Christ. The Lord is at work among many 'pockets of lostness' (new IMB catch-phrase) around the globe. I want to be a part of that.

* There were over 9000 baptists in one room singing about the grace and faithfulness of our Sovereign God. While I'm not overly enthusiastic about smoke machines and light shows, I can overlook that sort of thing and focus on praise and worship of the One who is worthy.

* I had the chance to visit with several long-time friends and discuss theology, ministry and the good old days. While it is often said that pastors usually have very few friends, I am blessed with quite a few. For this I am thankful.

* Fifteen minutes of Dennis Swanberg, followed by Mike Huckabee - enough said.

Sure, there were a few 'out of order' motions by those who would rather focus on things other than Christ and the Great Commission. And, there were more people swarming bowls of mints and grabbing free pens than voting for 1st Vice President. And I paid over $8 for a not-so-healthy Expo Center lunch that gave me heartburn. I decided to dismiss that sort of thing as trivial and zero in on the more important aspects of this annual event.

I've only been a Southern Baptist for about 7 years. Now that I have attended my first real denominational gathering, I am very encouraged. The Lord is at work in the SBC.

[the church pictured above is one attended by Lottie Moon while she was ministering in China]
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