Brennan Manning

Listen to Brennan Manning sharing about the love of God.

Disciple Yourself by Ryan Whitley

My staff is always working on discipleship.  We first work on discipleship by discipling ourselves.  We then work on discipleship by discipling each other.  Our ultimate goal, however, is to disciple others.  That is our plan for discipleship.

What kind of plan do you have for discipleship?  Do you have a plan?  What does it look like?  You do know it is the call of every Christian to make disciples of the nations.  And one of the keys to discipleship is the ability to disciple yourself.  It is the ability to place yourself under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit in order to allow Him to mentor you.  You cannot make disciples of others until you allow the Lord to make a disciple of you

Here are five keys to discipling yourself.

1.  You must develop personal intimate time alone with the Lord.

We cannot teach others about personal intimacy with Christ unless we develop intimacy with Him.  Even as the Son of God, Jesus spent intimate time alone with His Father.  Several times the Gospel writers referenced personal times Jesus spent alone in prayer:

And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.

Matthew 14:23

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Mark 1:35

But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

Luke 5:16

If Jesus considered personal intimacy alone with the Lord a priority, how much more should we?

2.  You must devote yourself to reading and studying God’s Word.

Let me be forthright: IF YOU ARE NOT READING AND STUDYING GOD’S WORD, YOU ARE NOT GROWING SPIRITUALLY. 

There is a direct correlation between God’s Word and personal spiritual growth.  Before you teach others from God’s word, you must learn from God’s word yourself.  True disciples are constantly in the Word of God, studying, reading, and learning.

3.  You must practice consistency.

One of the greatest deterrents to personal spiritual growth for many believers is lack of consistency.  So many are on again and off again in the disciplines of their faith.  Too many Christians take three steps forward and two steps backward because they do not practice constancy.  One of the greatest guarantees for personal spiritual growth is to be more constant.  To disciple yourself you must be consistent in worship, Bible study and prayer.

4.  You must find a way to be record your thoughts.

I record my thoughts by keeping a daily journal.  I find it necessary and helpful to write down all God is doing in me, for me and around me.  I also find it helpful to write my prayers.  This discipline keeps me focused on what matters.  I am not easily distracted when I write my prayers.

5.  You must fine tune the skill of reading.

Reading is a discipline.  It is a discipline that can become a skill.  Reading is important because it keeps the mind sharp.  Reading also produces lessons, ideas and insights you would not have otherwise about the kingdom of God.  To disciple yourself, you must fine tune the skill of reading.

So, before you think about discipling someone else, you must learn to disciple yourself.

Raising of Hands in Praise to God

The following first appeared as "Postures of Praise" by Sam Storms.  You can see the original here

If you’ve ever visited Bridgeway you know that we freely and frequently lift our hands when we worship. Some people kneel down. Some sit. Some just stand. Some even dance.

On more than one occasion I’ve been asked: “Sam, why do you lift your hands when you worship?” My answer is two-fold.

First, I raise my hands when I pray and praise because I have explicit biblical precedent for doing so. I don’t know if I’ve found all biblical instances of it, but consider this smattering of texts.

“So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands” (Psalm 63:4).

“To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary” (Psalm 28:1).

“Every day I call upon you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you” (Psalm 88:9).

“I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes” (Psalm 119:48).

“Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD!” (Psalm 134:2).

“O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!” (Psalm 141:1-2).

“I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land” (Psalm 143:6).
“Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court, and he stood on it. Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven” (2 Chronicles 6:12-13).

“And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God” (Ezra 9:5).

“And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen,’ lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground” (Nehemiah 8:6).

“Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven” (Lamentations 3:41).

“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling” (1 Timothy 2:8).

If someone should object and say that few of these texts speak of worship (see Pss. 63:4; 134:2), but only of prayer (as if a rigid distinction can even be made between the two; indeed, I can’t recall ever worshiping God without praying to him; and prayer is itself a form of worship), my question is simply this:

Why do you assume that the appropriate place for your hands is at your side and you need an explicit biblical warrant for raising them? Wouldn’t it be just as reasonable to assume that the appropriate place for one’s hands is raised toward heaven, calling for an explicit biblical warrant (other than gravity or physical exhaustion) to keep them low?

The second answer I give to the question, “Why do you lift your hands when you worship?” is: “Because I’m not a Gnostic!” Gnosticism, both in its ancient and modern forms, disparages the body. Among other things, it endorses a hyper-spirituality that minimizes the goodness of physical reality. Gnostics focus almost exclusively on the non-material or “spiritual” dimensions of human existence and experience. The body is evil and corrupt. The body must be controlled and suppressed and kept in check lest it defile the pure praise of one’s spirit. The body, they say, is little more than a temporary prison for the soul that longs to escape into a pure, ethereal, altogether spiritual mode of being. Nonsense!

In one particular wedding ceremony I performed, the woman was from England and asked that I include in the vows one particular part that goes as follows:

“With my body I thee honor.
My body will adore you,
and your body alone will I cherish.
I will with my body, declare your worth.”

Biblical Christianity celebrates God’s creation of physical reality (after all, he did pronounce it “good” in Genesis 1). We are more than immaterial creatures. We are embodied souls, and are to worship God with our whole being. Paul couldn’t have been more to the point when he exhorted us to present our “bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,” which is our “spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

By all means, we must worship with understanding. We must think rightly of God and love him with our heart and soul and mind (see Mt. 22:37). But we are not, for that reason, any less physical beings. We will have glorified bodies forever in which to honor and adore our great God. If we are commanded to dance, kneel, sing and speak when we worship, what possible reason could there be for not engaging our hands as well?

The human hand gives visible expression to so many of our beliefs, feelings, and intentions. When I taught homiletics (how to preach), one of the most difficult tasks was getting young preachers to use their hands properly. Either from embarrassment or fear, they would keep them stuffed in their pockets, hidden from sight behind their backs, or nervously twiddle them in a variety of annoying ways.

Our hands speak loudly. When angry, we clinch our fists, threatening harm to others. When guilty, we hide our hands or hold incriminating evidence from view. When uneasy, we sit on them to obscure our inner selves. When worried, we wring them. When afraid, we use them to cover our face or hold tightly to someone for protection. When desperate or frustrated, we throw them wildly in the air, perhaps also in resignation or dismay. When confused, we extend them in bewilderment, as if asking for advice and direction. When hospitable, we use them to warmly receive those in our presence. When suspicious, we use them to keep someone at bay, or perhaps point an accusing finger in their direction.

Does it not seem wholly appropriate, therefore, to raise them to God when we seek him in prayer or celebrate him with praise? So again, why do I worship with hands raised?

Because like one who surrenders to a higher authority, I yield to God’s will and ways and submit to his guidance and power and purpose in my life. It is my way of saying, “God, I am yours to do with as you please.”

Because like one who expresses utter vulnerability, I say to the Lord: “I have nothing to hide. I come to you open handed, concealing nothing. My life is yours to search and sanctify. I’m holding nothing back. My heart, soul, spirit, body and will are an open book to you.”

Because like one who needs help, I confess my utter dependence on God for everything. I cry out: “O God, I entrust my life to you. If you don’t take hold and uplift me, I will surely sink into the abyss of sin and death. I rely on your strength alone. Preserve me. Sustain me. Deliver me.”

Because like one who happily and expectantly receives a gift from another, I declare to the Lord: “Father, I gratefully embrace all you want to give. I’m a spiritual beggar. I have nothing to offer other than my need of all that you are for me in Jesus. So glorify yourself by satisfying me wholly with you alone.”

Because like one who aspires to direct attention away from self to the Savior, I say: “O God, yours is the glory; yours is the power; yours is the majesty alone!”

Because as the beloved of God, I say tenderly and intimately to the Lover of my soul: “Abba, hold me. Protect me. Reveal your heart to me. I am yours! You are mine! Draw near and enable me to know and feel the affection in your heart for this one sinful soul.”

For those many years when I kept my hands rigidly at my side or safely tucked away in the pockets of my pants, I knew that no one would take notice of my praise of God or my prayers of desperation. No one would dare mistake me for a fanatic! I felt in control, dignified, sophisticated, and above all else, safe. These matter no more to me.

Please understand: these are not words of condemnation but confession. I know no one’s heart but my own. I judge no one’s motives but mine. I’m not telling you how to worship, but simply sharing how I do and why. I’m at that point in life where I honestly couldn’t care less what the immovable evangelical is thinking or the crazy charismatic is feeling. What matters to me is that God have my all: my mind, will, feet, eyes, ears, tongue, heart, affections, and yes, my hands.

No, you need not raise your hands to worship God. But why wouldn’t you want to?

P.S.  If you want to read some of my (David) notes on the "Body Language of Praise," click here.  

Study: Christians Who Tithe Have Healthier Finances

Study: Christians Who Tithe Have Healthier Finances

by Joe Carter

The Story: The finances of Christians who tithe are generally healthier than the finances of those who do not,according to a new study.

The Story: A new 5-year constituency study released by the State of the Plate gives an inside look at the financial, giving, and spiritual practices of 4,413 people who donate 10% or more each year. According to theChristian Post, researchers compared tithers to non-tithers using nine financial health indicators, and found that tithers were better off in every category. "The weird thing is, a tither looks at that and says to himself, 'Well I'm better off because I give.' A non-tither looks at that and says, 'Oh, they give because they're better off,'" said Brian Kluth, the founder of the study.
The Takeaways: Some of the more interesting findings from the study include:
• 77% of those who "tithe" give 11%-20% or more of their income, far more than the baseline of 10%.
• 97% make it a priority to give to their local church.
• 70% "tithe" based on their gross income, not their net.
• 63% started giving 10% or more between childhood and their twenties
• Tithers carry much less debt than most people and are financially better off than Christian non-tithers—80% of "tithers" have no unpaid credit card bills; 74% have no car payments; 48% own their home; and 28% are completely debt-free.
• What keeps non-tithing Christians from giving: 38% say they can't afford it; 33% say they have too much debt; and 18% said their spouse does not agree about tithing.

The Toxicity of Anxiety by Sam Storms

What reasons does Jesus give to us for not being anxious? There are eight of them.

(1) Worry is unlawful (v. 24). To see this point, we have to go back into vv. 19-24. In brief, worry is a violation of the first commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me!” Worry is idolatry! When you worry you become a slave to whatever it is that you fear. Anxiety is an idolatrous dependence on something other than God. To worry is to serve and subject yourself to this world rather than God. Worry is when some issue or problem or concern or need shoves God off the throne of your heart and assumes an all-consuming and controlling influence in your life. That’s the point of Jesus in v. 24 when he says you can’t serve both God and money.

(2) Worry is unreasonable (v. 25b). Your life is more important than the food and drink that sustain it. Your body is more important than the clothes which cover it. What you wear and eat are of very small importance in comparison with who you are. Our Lord’s point here is that if God takes care of the greater thing, namely you and your life, can he not be trusted to take care of the lesser thing, namely your food and clothing?

Although not explicitly mentioned in the text, worry is also unreasonable because it forces us to experience the problem twice. We face it once in our minds as we live fearfully in anticipation of the trouble ahead, and we face it yet a second time when the difficult actually occurs. Worry doubles our trouble! If our fear does not materialize, we have worried once for nothing. If it does materialize, we have worried twice instead of once. On either alternative, worry is unreasonable.

(3) Worry is unworthy (v. 26). What I mean is that worry is unworthy of those who are God’s children, created in his image, redeemed by the blood of Christ, forever forgiven and justified by faith. Birds are not created in the image of God. Birds are not adopted into the family of God. Birds are not predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. Listen to them. Every time you hear them sing you should be reminded that God cares for them; he provides for them. And “are you not of more value than they?” (v. 26b).

(4) Worry is unproductive (v. 27). It accomplishes nothing! No one by living in constant anxiety is going to add to the length of his/her life. If anything, worry only shortens and saddens your life. It produces nothing of real and lasting benefit. Worry simply doesn’t work!

(5) Worry is unbelief (vv. 28-30). I use the word “unbelief” here because of the way v. 30 concludes. Jesus rebukes those who worry with the words, “O you of little faith!” But why do worry and anxiety reveal a lack of faith? A lack of faith in what? The goodness and power of God! Worry is our way of saying, “God, I don’t believe you really care that much about me and my needs. And even if you do care, I don’t have much confidence in your ability to do anything about it.”

What Jesus is telling us is that the root cause of anxiety is a failure to trust all that God has provided for us in Jesus.

We tend to use anything that doesn’t go our way as an argument against God’s existence. Or if we still believe he exists, we use it to justify our doubt in his goodness. Do you remember the devotional book for teenagers that came out years ago: If God loves me, why can’t I get my locker open? With adults it’s usually something more severe and unsettling than a stuck door on a locker at school! But whatever the nature or extent of our 

problem, we are prone to doubt God’s goodness or his power when things start falling apart.

At the bottom of anxiety is a lack of faith in divine sovereignty. But remember: the fact that God is ever and always in control does not mean you will always feel that he is. God is sovereign, but often his sovereignty is silent and secret.

Why does Jesus speak so forcefully to us, in charging us with having so little faith? The reason is the force of the arguments that are found in vv. 28-30. This is what is known as arguing from the lesser to the greater. The reverse argument, from the greater to the lesser, is what we find in Romans 8:31-32. Here Jesus points to the lilies of the field and the expanse of grass and rolling meadows. Look at how beautiful they are. Look at how God has adorned them. And yet they are but temporary. Here today, gone tomorrow. Beautiful today, burned up tomorrow.

Don’t you think you matter more to God than inert dirt and unthinking flowers and inanimate lilies? But if God clothes them, will he not surely clothe you? If he has such concern for that which is less, will he not even more show his concern for that which is more?

(6) Worry is unchristian (vv. 31-32). By “Gentiles” Jesus means unbelievers, non-Christians. The spirit of worry and anxiety is a mindset alien to the kingdom of God and to his children. It lowers the believer to the standards and motivation of the lost. I can understand why an unbeliever should worry. In fact, they don’t worry nearly enough!

But for a Christian to worry, for a child of God to be riddled with anxiety, is in effect saying that redemption by the blood of Christ and justification by faith and adoption into God’s family and eternal forgiveness make no difference whatsoever in how I face life and confront my problems.

Notice Jesus’ emphasis on God as our “heavenly Father,” first in v. 26 and now again in v. 32. God relates to you in a way altogether different from how he relates to non-believers. To live under the weight of anxiety and fear and doubt and excessive concern is to act as if you were a spiritual orphan.

(7) Worry is unnecessary (v. 32). It is unnecessary because God knows what you need. He knows everything about you. Thus worry is a tacit denial of the omniscience of God! We think that by worrying we will bring to God’s attention something of which he was unaware. Perhaps if we only complain loudly enough or cry enough we will raise the roof of heaven and awaken God from his slumber of indifference. No! He knows!

(8) Worry is unrighteous (v. 33). The alternative to worry and anxiety is seeking God’s kingdom and his righteousness. You can’t do both. Jesus portrays these two options as mutually exclusive. Either you worry and slight his righteousness, or you pursue his righteousness and give no room to anxiety.

Think of the time, money, emotional energy, etc. you spend when worrying, time, money, and emotional energy that could have been devoted to cause of God’s kingdom. Think of the variety of sins that worry provokes in your heart. John Piper explains:

“Anxiety about finances can give rise to coveting and greed and hoarding and stealing. Anxiety about succeeding at some task can make you irritable and abrupt and surly. Anxiety about relationships can make you withdrawn and indifferent and uncaring about other people. Anxiety about how someone will respond to you can make you cover over the truth and lie about things” (Future Grace, 53).

Before leaving v. 33, two more comments are in order. First, Jesus promises us the “necessities” of life, not its luxuries. Of course, when compared with how most Christians live around the world, our bare necessities would constitute for them a grand luxury. Second, there is an exception to v. 33, and that is when God calls on certain Christians to suffer for righteousness sake in terms of persecution, imprisonment, and eventual martyrdom.

So, what does the Bible recommend in the place of anxiety and worry?

(1) Know well the previous eight points!

(2) Become preoccupied with kingdom-seeking! Evangelization, service to others, ministry to the people of God, deeds of mercy to those most in need, meditation and memorization of Scripture. Stay busy in the service of Christ!

(3) Redirect the focus of your life and your thoughts from tomorrow to today. This is the point of Jesus in v. 34. You can handle today’s problems because they are already here. There is enough to deal with right now, so don’t complicate matters by obsessing with what tomorrow or next month might bring.

(4) Fight anxiety with the promises of God! Fight worry with a massive counter-attack of truth! I was greatly helped in the following by comments from John Piper. He reminds us all that:

If you worry about what people might do or say about you, remember Romans 8:31 – “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

If you worry about being too weak, remember 2 Corinthians 12:9 – “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

If you worry about future decisions, remember Psalm 32:8 – “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

If you worry about God failing to fulfill his promises to you, remember Hebrews 6:18 – “It is impossible for God to lie.”

If you worry about the needs of loved ones and family members, remember Matthew 7:11 – “how much more will the Father give what is good to those who ask.”

If you worry about lingering sickness, remember Psalm 103:3 – “He heals all your diseases.”

If you worry about getting old, remember Isaiah 46:4 – “even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”

If you worry about failing and falling in your Christian walk, remember Phil. 1:6 – “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

If you worry about God’s presence and his purpose in your life, remember Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God, I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you, with My victorious right hand.”

(5) Pray! Phil. 4:4-7. This is not a promise that problems will vanish. It is a promise that God will enable you to face them without destructive and debilitating anxiety. Jesus never said that we aren’t to worry because the problems aren’t real or will magically disappear in the presence of faith.

(6) Remind yourself often of the steadfast faithfulness of God. Lamentations 3:19-26 . . .

(7) Relinquish! Yield control and concern to God, for he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Ps. 56:3).

One of my heroes preaching - Bro. Sam Jones

One of my dear heroes, Bro. Sam Jones, is now living in Centre, AL and a member of the Piney Grove Baptist Church there.  Ricky Pollard is Pastor.  Bro. Sam was pastor of First Baptist Church, Gramercy, Louisiana for 49 years.  Every time I go to Louisiana, I think of him.

I found this video of him preaching last year at Piney Grove.  He is weak, but still a powerful preacher. Enjoy.

Thoughts about Calvinism and the Southern Baptist Convention

There is always tension between those who study theology and hold it very high.  All want to believe they are "the true defenders of the faith."  I can remember when I felt that way about a particular view of end times.  And sadly, many in that camp that I was in years ago, will still say today (but always with a smile and bit of sarcasm) that "you can be wrong if you want to."

Doctrinal pride is a serious offense.  For someone (or some church or denomination) to believe "they are the only ones right" makes them wrong right out of the starting blocks.

So, within the Southern Baptist Convention, there is tension over issues like the end times, church government and charismatic gifts.  In years past, it was over our understanding of the Word of God.  But today, its not these that have the spotlight - instead its the doctrine of salvation.

The rise and spread of Calvinism has caused a rift among the brothers (and sisters).  While most forget that the early days of the SBC were mainly those who believed this doctrine and while some of our most quoted preachers were Calvinist (like Charles Spurgeon), the division caused has spewed into churches, onto blogs, into opposing conferences and among friends.

While personally I have always been more "Calvinistic" than not, I still believe there is much (MUCH) about the grace of God expressed in the salvation offered to man through Jesus Christ alone that I do not understand and NEVER will.

So I am pleased to see a document that has been released for Southern Baptists to consider next week at  our annual meeting in Houston   Dr. Frank Page, President and CEO of the Executive Committee of the SBC, appointed a Calvinism Advisory Committee last summer. This diverse group has published their report.

The full document is titled "Truth, Trust, and Testimony in a Time of Tension."  You may download a copy of it by clicking on the link below.

Truth, Trust, and Testimony in a Time of Tension

Historically, Southern Baptists have been wise to not get too dogmatic about some of these issues (end times, spiritual gifts, etc) forcing them to be a point of agreement necessary to be a Baptist.  I pray this will also be the same with this issue.

In not, tell me which church or denomination has it right so I can join them.  Oh, that's right...there is not one.

"This is What Heavens Means to Me"

I do not know this man but I love his voice and the Spirit of his singing.  Plus, I love this old song.  If you are like me, you will watch this several times and rejoice.

The Youtube page says this about it:  Bridgeton Pentecostal Holiness Church - Roper Revival - Rev. Phillip Lewis of the Friendship Pentecostal Holiness Church, Aurora, NC

John Stott on "When He Feels Most Alive"

John Stott was a brilliant pastor, preacher, theologian and writer who I have long respected.  He was asked "When Do You Feel Most Alive?"  His first response was a little shocking but only adds to what I have come to believe about the importance of corporate worship.  The rest of this four-minute video is also enjoyable.