“ Sin or righteousness. ” A serious message, a comparison between Herod and John the Baptist, between their spiritual condition and their eternal destinies.
Hi Pastor Wil. I sent you an email but I couldn't find an address for your search and see ministries. I sent it through the att.net address of yours. I hope you get it! If you don't, do you care to call me at 1-606-789-8850. I'm home for three weeks and I wanted to ask you a few questions about my upcoming wedding!
I agree with your evaluation of the GCR. In the end all lies in the hands of the messengers of the SBC. Transparency is very important. If the task force leans in the wrong direction according to the majority of SBC church members we can still hold the line on conservative principles Through the messengers. Those local Associations practicing good stewardship shouldn't have anything to worry about. Like any budget there come times when we must re-evaluate our ability to see that priorities are met. This happens to be one of those times. Missionaries should be on planes going toward the mission field not on planes flying back home due to a lack of funds. I will be praying for unity among the brethren as this major undertaking unfolds. I pray all believers will join me.
Quote: "I realize I am posting this at the cost of being accused of not wanting more professions of faith followed by baptisms. I can hear it now, “He must be a Hyper-Calvinist!” That couldn’t farther from the truth. I and many other younger pastors do want more professions of faith - but we want GENUINE professions of faith based on BIBLICAL presentations of the Gospel!!!! That may mean a fewer number, but isn’t a “regenerate” church membership one of our distinctives? What if fewer actually did mean more? I simply mean to call on my fellow Southern Baptists to utilize more means of observation than boiling everything down to a lack of evangelism. We may actually have cause to rejoice in these lower numbers! Instead of telling pastors they must NOT be doing their jobs - we may need to be telling them, “Well done good and faithful servant!"
Amen brother!
A good article, and a good position to hold. A regenerate membership is crucial, as is leaving the work of conversion (after someone has heard the gospel and been advised) to the Lord. False professions abound in the UK, largely due to the use of unbiblical courses like Alpha.
I agree with you 100%. The SBC should be more concerned about a "regenerate church membership". It's the Lord who saves and adds to the church (Acts 2vs.41-47). A dead sinner will never "hear" the gospel unless the Holy Spirit has quickened the individual(Eph.2 vs.1). I believe that many SBC churches, if in a similar situation as John the Baptist (Matthew 3 vs.7-8), would have dunked them (Pharisees and Sadducees) before they knew what hit them. Our church left the SBC many years ago as it (SBC) went further and further from its original beliefs. I applaud you on your stand. Thanks for the great article.
""Flavel makes long discussions on how God's providence aids the church, how providence was at work in the timing, place, and situation of our birth, and how God moved in so many ways in our conversion, our sanctification, and our preservation. He provides scores of biblical examples and verses to support his theology and provides numerous daily illustrations as well.""
Thanks for this info SermonAudio.
I have just ordered Flavel's book.
And I know a few Arminian's who really need to read it judging by the quote above.
Thanks for the encouragement Pastor! I totally agree with you that maybe it's time we view our ministries as that of missionary. I've just been too hesitant to say so. The Lord bless your ministry!
I am in complete agreement brother. The problem in not just in the SBC, nor in County seat churches, it's everywhere. If it's not the problem you described, it's about programs, games, and entertainment. I've patoring a rual church since Feb. When I came I told them the same thing about the ministry of the word. At first it sounded great to them, but now there is some tension developing over it. Maybee in American Churches we are more of a missionary than a biblical Pastor. I know that's a sad testimony to our churches. But hang in there, and don't change your approach
We love you and your family Pastor Wil, and we miss you in NC very much. I pray God will continue to use you to build His kingdom and to reach many people groups so they can hear the message of God's remdeeming love.
Perhaps defining terms would help. [URL=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/assent]]]TheFreeDictionary[/URL] has "assent" as "agreement, concurrence." Thus, one could say "I agree" or "concur" that some proposition is true. It may not sound very emphatic, but in essence, I think it's a synonym for "I believe," unless of course the speaker is lying. Now if colloquially, "assent" means "I hear what you said," we should never confuse it for belief, & it would not deserve further discussion. In any case, I know of no Biblical equivalent to this word; offhand, it seems that almost everywhere in the NT, we see "believe" & its tenses, whether from Jesus, Apostles, or hypothetical devils.
James 2:19 is not speaking of the quality of belief, but the object, which is monotheism. Certainly I agree that belief in this, no matter how fervent, is not salvific, which is why Unitarians, JWs, and Muslims are in trouble. But it does not distinguish between *species* of belief (if there are any). The verse is therefore unhelpful in answering this question.
And I do not see how exhortations in 1 Cor. 15 to "hold fast", "stand," etc tell me anything about different qualities of belief, either. Paul tells us there to persevere, not to believe more fervently. [Out of space...]
Hey Neil, I appreciate your input. It seems clear that you are influenced by the Hodges/Ryrie/Dallas school of thought on this issue. (I'm sure you can guess my influences as well.) If not directly influenced, you do follow their thinking. Do know that I have read their books, and I remain unconvinced and opposed to their exegetical explanations. Of course, the point in referring to James 2:19 is to establish that there are ways to believe that are not saving. As far as exegetical evidence that saving belief means more than assent, one simply has to look at the calls of Christ in the Gospel; "Come," "Drink," "Follow," etc. to see that saving faith encompasses more than mental agreement. Furthermore, as you know, the context of 1 Cor 15:3-4 argues against a simple assent position. In verses 1-2 Paul says his readers "received" the gospel (vv 3-4), "stand" in the gospel, and are being saved by the gospel IF THEY "HOLD FAST." So there is the exegetical evidence in the very passage you quoted. Paul includes things like "receive," "stand," and "hold fast" as included in what it means to be saved by belief in the gospel. Clearly those words mean more than to merely assent to some facts. They mean something like "stake your life on these facts - always!" Blessings Neil.
Jas. 2:19 uses the word "believe" twice, not "assent" (assuming there's a Gk. equivalent), so how does this verse clarify matters? Is there any exegetical evidence that "assent" differs from (or is inferior to) "belief?" Whence the "far more than?"
1 Cor 15:3-4 is a summation of the content of the Gospel not what one is to do with that content. In other words, it is what we proclaim, not how we are to respond to that proclamation. To say "assent" sounds like "agree." While we must "assent" to the message, we MUST do far more than that. We must believe (which has to mean more than mere assent, Ja 2:19) and repent because of the content of the Gospel.
I just wanted to thank you for this post Wil. I have struggled with this and it something that I have been challenged with when I consider how I am going to end my messages everytime I get to preach or teach. I posted a link to this on my blog and I am encouraging everyone I know to read your post. Thanks again.
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If you don't, do you care to call me at 1-606-789-8850. I'm home for three weeks and I wanted to ask you a few questions about my upcoming wedding! 
