SOLUTIONS OR SALVATION?

Being a die hard football fan, I was saddened to hear about the murder of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor. Just listening to the media reports about how his house was broken into 8 days ago, and how someone left a knife on his pillow is as sickening to know that before he was shot, his phone and alarm lines were cut delaying any chance he had to call for help after he was wounded.

In light of this, I just read an article by Jason Whitlock, of FOXsports.com, in which he claims that Taylor's death is related to the actions of what he calls the "Black KKK". Whitlock states that a need for Taylor to keep his negative past associations, as well as the rising growth of black on black crime was the catalyst for his death. Equally, Whitlock states that blacks should be ashamed in attacking white media outlets that has focused on Taylor's prior run-ins with the law during this time, and start focusing on the often overlooked problems that cause blacks to kill each other.

If you know of Jason Whitlock, you know he is not shy about voicing his opinions. And while he does make some very disturbing comments, it is the comment he doesn't make that is the most disturbing: namely, that sin is at the root of this issue. Unfortunately, our society focuses more on external solutions to conquer internal problems. Like it or not, racial unity events, forums, and "Million Man marches" have no power in solving spiritual issues--only being born again through the LORD Jesus will do this. The lack of a regenerated heart and reverence for God's law is the basis of any sin (see WSC Question # 14). And if there truly will be a change one day, we must realize that a person must change from the inside by God's grace and not outwardly in his own power.

So, in conclusion, it is not ultimately the rap music, drugs, and past associations that was the ultimate undoing of Sean Taylor. But rather, it was the fact that man's heart is in the clutches of sin and needs to be rescued by the LORD Jesus' life, death, and ressurection. Unless this occurs, all the opinions and suggestions that are being offered in how to overcome this tragedy are obsolete.


To read Jason Whitlock's article, click here

MIAMI PASTOR'S CONFERENCE BLOG IS UP!!!

I hope everyone had a real good Thanksgiving holiday, and I pray that the LORD was uplifted as we reflected on some of the many things He is doing in our lives.

I promised in an earlier post that I would be giving detailed comments about every session that happened at the Miami Pastor's Conference this past November 8-10. Well, I am proud to say that I have created a new blog that will cover just this subject. So, if you couldn't attend and wanted to know about this Conference or did attend and wanted to give your input on what blessed you, please click on the link below and enjoy!!!!

http://miamipastors.blogspot.com/

CHARISMATIC SCANDAL

There is a serious sex scandal brewing in Atlanta concerning "Archbishop" Earl Paulk, founder of Chapel Hill Harvester Church, a large Charismatic megachurch in the area. Apparently, Paulk has been exposed in sleeping with his brother's wife 34 years ago and fathering a child with her. Until a recent DNA test, this child, whose name is D.E. Paulk, was always known as Earl Paulk's nephew. D.E. is now the Senior Pastor of the Church. Apparently, this is not the first time a sex scandal has hit this church. Paulk (as well as his brother Don) has been accused of having sex and/or molesting at least four other women over the past 25 years. A couple of these cases were never filed or were settled out of court.

The actions of the "Archbishop" and the longevity of his discretions makes me wonder how a man like this could be in the pulpit so long. While all these incidents were taking place, he was preaching to a congregation that went as high as 10,000 on any given Sunday. We, as believers need to take heed to the accountability of our pastors and make sure that they are truly "watching their lives and doctrine closely" (1 Tim. 4:16). We should not blindly follow a teacher who seems to speak for God, nor should we tolerate constant discretions without consequences. It is my prayer that Paulk will repent of his transgressions, but it is more of my prayer that God will not allow Paulk to guide His people while living in deliberate sin.

If you would like to read the article on this scandal, click here

Also, here is a Wikipedia bio on Paulk, here

AMAZING OPPORTUNITY PART 2

Last night, I was given another opportunity to preach at Glendale Baptist Church. My text was Psalm 23, and the title was "A Sheep's Testimony". As usual, the congregation at Glendale was extremely warm, supportive, and encouraging to me before, during, and after the service. Once again, I would like to express my thanks to Pastor Armstrong, Sister Armstrong, and the entire Glendale family for being the loving people you are. I love you all and will continue to keep you in my prayers.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

Yes Everyone! Today is my Birthday: My Spiritual Birthday!

Eight years ago today, The LORD was gracious to draw me to Himself and allow me to become a member of His divine family. I wish I could say that these eight years were easy. Like many people who come to Christ, I started off on a shaky foundation built on TD Jakes, Creflo Dollar, Myles Munroe, and Eddie Long. In 2000, I was licensed as a minister and started preaching things that now makes my stomach turn. Then in 2001, the LORD directed me to the Reformed Faith through various circumstances, and then it was off to Seminary in 2002. It was here that I became rooted in the Reformation by various teachings and materials, but I also went through a small period of struggle being a Reformed African-American.

But despite the struggles, there have been great periods as well. Number one, that the LORD continues to grow me in Christ, Two I am a Reformed Christian (which is a true Biblical Christian), Three, that I have had the privilege of going through Seminary, Four, the LORD has given me a wonderful jail ministry Five, He has allowed me to build relationships with other Christians in many places throughout the years, and Six, That he has me working in a great full-time ministry where I can share my faith with the youth of our day.

So truly, the LORD does make everything work for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). And I thank God for all the valleys and joys I have faced, and by His grace, I pray that I will grow more in Him as I live to seek His face.

PULLING NO PUNCHES

If you have never heard of Rev. Paul Washer, you might want to check him out. Rev. Washer is the founder and director of HeartCry Missionary Society in Muscle Shoals, AL. He is known not for holding back his passions when presenting the truths of Christ (especially towards the American Christian). Due to this, there are many mixed opinions about him in the Body of Christ, but I personally thank God for him. The Apostle Paul tells us to "preach the Word in season and out of season"(2 Timothy 4:2), and, in some venues, the "out of season" rules in the majority. But Rev. Washer shows us that no matter where we are or who we preach to, God's truth is God's truth! And, ultimately, we preach--not what the people want to hear--but rather, what God wants to hear! Below are some clips of Paul Washer.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8&feature=related

This is his most popular message. The message was so strong and condemning, that he was asked not to preach at this particular church ever again.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nplD7JhJMOU&feature=related

This is an interview that he gave with Kirk Cameron on the Heresy Broadcast Network (TBN).

A TURN IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?

Apparently, Pastor Bill Hybels has seen the error of his ways (I think). I was forwarded an article that states that, after some deeper research, Willow Creek Church is abandoning their philosophy of church growth because it is not producing the results it advertises. Hybels says in the article that his "seeker sensitive" approach to winning the lost is not producing true disciples of Christ, but rather, it is just getting people into the church and inflating attendance.

In fact, Greg Hawkins--Executive Pastor of Willow Creek--goes as far as indirectly stating that their methods were not biblically sound from the get-go when he explains how they will remedy their mistake saying,

"Our dream is that we fundamentally change the way we do church. That we take out a clean sheet of paper and we rethink all of our old assumptions. Replace it with new insights. Insights that are informed by research and rooted in Scripture. Our dream is really to discover what God is doing and how he’s asking us to transform this planet.

Hawkins statement is very disturbing from many angles. And the saddest part is that many pastors--who should've known better--implemented these ideas among their congregations with no concern with how carnal the effect. I hope this admission makes everyone realize that it is God who truly builds His church(Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 3:6-7) and not fancy methods or ideas.

In conclusion, I read nothing in the article that told me detailed approaches that Willow Creek will take to "rewrite their wrongs" so I look forward to seeing what will happen with this "awakening" they have experienced.

If you would like to read the article, please click here

WOW!!!!

If I could sum up in one word the way I felt after attending the 2007 Miami Pastor's Conference, the above title would say it all. I mentioned in my first ever post that I was syked to attend this event and, after it ended on Saturday afternoon, I was immediately craving November 6-8, 2008 (the dates for next year's conference). As usual, Pastor Armstrong and the Glendale Baptist Church family, was extremely gracious to all the participants in all their labors--from directing us to our hotels to the wonderful meals they provided for us (I still have those collard greens from Thursday night on my mind).

Another thing that I loved about the conference was the personal interaction that I had with my African-American Reformed heroes. I was literally starstruck in meeting and talking with Rev. Ken Jones, Thabiti Anyabwile, and Sherrard Burns. I was also re-introduced to Anthony Carter and met (for the first time) such wonderful men like Dr. Hensworth Jonas, Louis Love, Robert Benson, Lance Lewis, Reddit Andrews, Michael Horton, and Michael Leach.
I owe these men so much for empowering me to finish Seminary, and it was an amazing honor to tell them this in person. It was also really cool to meet other participants such as Quincy Jones from Ft. Worth (TX), Kelvin Tarver from Sacramento (CA), and Allen Bynoe from Atlanta (GA).

As far as the preaching goes, I wish I could explain each sermon and workshop in the conference, but time would not permit (however, I will make comments about each one separately during the next few weeks on this blog). But here are some of the sermons and workshops that I will treasure from this event:

African-Americans making the case for Reformed Theology: Coming from Acts 17, Anthony Carter encouraged us, as African-Americans, to find common ground with other races within the same theological perspective. He demonstrated this in many points, one being by showing that our faith entails the same historical figures (such as Augustine, Wycliffe, Luther, Calvin, etc.) as our white brothers ans sisters. And thus, we should use this as a way to build harmony that will ultimately break the racial separation that has plagued the church for centuries. Another convicting point that Rev. Carter brought up was the necessity of writing. He correctly stated that, as African-Americans, we have very little material that comes from our Reformed perspective. Thus, it is our job--not just to support each other's work--but to leave a legacy for the next Reformed African-American generation that will give them the means to tie their experience with their faith. Lastly, this workshop also had the funniest moment of the conference in which Pastor Hensworth Jonas stated that he wanted to know more about the "hoop" in traditional black preaching.

The Gospel and the Fall of Man: Michael Leach set the church on fire with this message on Thursday Night. He beautifully showed how God has been so gracious with His giving of the Gospel by focusing on the condition of Adam and Eve (and thus, ourselves) after they fell in the Garden. This sermon brought my appreciation of God's goodness to a whole new level.

Limited Atonement/Particular Redemption: This was a workshop held Friday afternoon by Rev. Sherrard Burns. Using John 10, Rev. Burns showed how the Scripture truly teaches that Christ died for a particular people and not the world as a whole. He addressed "proof texts" from the opposing side (such as 2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16), and encouraged us to praise the God of Heaven and Earth for being loving enough to choose us as His peculiar people.

The Comfort of the Gospel: I have heard Anthony Carter preach before, but this was--without question--one of my favorite sermons from him, if not of all-time. Coming from Isaiah 40:1-5, Rev. Carter stated that, on Sunday, we as preachers need to understand that the people we minister to have been in a battle with Satan all week long. And a lot of times, they come in discouraged, beat up, and weary from the affairs that being in Christ produces. It is here that we need to inform them that while the battles may be hard, the war is over due to the person and work of Christ. So, we must encourage our people in this fact to give them renewed strength in their walk with the LORD Jesus.

As the next few weeks come along, I will give more info about this life-changing Conference. And I would like to encourage you now to set aside November 6-8, 2008 for next year's Pastor's Conference at Glendale Baptist Church. I promise you it will revolutionize your life and doctrine.

FORT LAUDERDALE IN CRISIS

Coral Ridge Ministries has an interesting feature dealing with Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle's battle against the homosexual cause in the city. After watching this clip, I can't fathom how a true Christian can say that we should not fight sin in the political realm. Even though we are not of this world, doesn't mean that we should let anything (and everything) happen around us. But don't just take my word for it, watch the feature for yourself right here

RENDER UNTO CAESAR THE THINGS THAT ARE CAESAR'S

The hits just keep on comin' for Juanita Bynum. Apparently, she may lose her Atlanta home due to unpaid property taxes. Now before I go any further in this article, I am not writing this to make fun of her situation. But one has to wonder how someone who has a worldwide following that would quadruple the population of most small countries, can divorce her husband, leave a megachurch she had with him, and is in the process of starting up another church that will most certainly draw in thousands, cannot (or maybe will not) pay back taxes on her property? Equally, why would Bynum want to solicit funds from her followers to build a new church where she can "intercede on their behalf"(which is something I thought only Christ does--see Romans 8:34), when her top priority should be to pay the government the money she has neglected to give them for well over a year?

I have always had issues with people like her who are led more by voices that verses, and this is why. Knowing a little about her history, this situation is just one we can chalk up to the vast amount of blunders this woman is known for making in her life.

Now in no way am I stating that I personally have it all together. But to consistently act in carnal ways, when you are passing yourself off as a "prophet" of God is ridiculous. But, unfortunately, the sad part is that she probably won't learn anything from this. More than likely, when she finally comments on this issue, she will possibly try to spin some story about she received a "word" from God that will be some ploy to make her look like an innocent lamb in all of this. However, the Bible makes it clear that in addition to giving to God, we are to give to "Caesar what is Caesar's" (Mark 12:17). So Bynum cannot legitimately come up with some "word from God" that will override this clear statement in Scripture. And, let's be real, Juanita Bynum is hardly hurting for money even in the midst of a divorce, so there is no reason for her to allow her situation to get to this level. I pray that those who are devoted to her will finally see that this modern flurry of "prophets", "prophetesses", and "prosperity teachers" can only lead them in carnality--which will only make them like the preachers they follow.

If you would like to read the article, click here

Hear Juanita's $200,000 need here