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In the past two months, God has brought us a new and wonderful opportunity of outreach that expands our ministry well beyond our local region. We have wanted for some time to enable “live streaming” of our Sunday worship services over the Internet so that people who can’t attend can feel like they are present with us. With the connection, equipment and software in place, on May 1, we began utilizing this exceptional opportunity to impact an even greater number of people for Christ. At or before the time of our three Sunday worship services (9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.) you simply enter lmbc.tv into your web browser and you are able to view our services as they are happening. How cool is that?

This isn’t something new in other parts of the country, but it is new to us and it is already garnering a lot of “praise” from people who have to miss our services occasionally, are living where they can’t find a church home, or have health issues that prevent them from attending at all. Recently, one of our men who is unable to be at church due to providential matters told me that it made him feel as if he is still connected to the daily activity of our fellowship. And, we have already heard from people watching the services who are as far away as Poland, as well as from many in the states and in our own local community. I never knew just how big this ministry could be, but I’m now convinced that we can reach a significant part of the world right from the sanctuary of LMBC.

I once heard a speaker say that “someone is going to preach to more than a million people every Sunday … by way of the Internet.” At first I thought this was only fanciful thinking, but now I see how it can happen. Wouldn’t it be great if there were more than a million people tuning into our services live each Sunday? With our new Internet streaming it is no longer just a fantasy; it is now a distinct possibility! The potential for touching thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) has never been greater than it is right now. In fact, our recent statistics show that an average of 300 people already are watching our services on a regular basis.

For many years, we have broadcast our edited services on local TV (WCHS) and people have repeatedly told me they are tuning in each Sunday. But, I have never been as pleased as I am by the the positive responses we are hearing from this new ministry. I suppose that people know that the TV broadcast is an edited version of a past worship service (at least one month behind), and somehow they feel more connected to our church when they can see and hear the whole service live from beginning to end.

Just for clarification, this opportunity should never be a substitute for participating in person with a local church where you are serving and sharing God’s love on a weekly basis. However, there are many people who don’t have the privilege of attending a church like ours, who physically can’t attend church, or are in a church whose service times are different to our own worship services. These and many others would love to have our church come to them. That is what I’m being told by those presently utilizing lmbc.tv and if you’ll help me spread the word about this opportunity, I’m sure there will be many more who will respond favorably, as well.

One additional note, if you use an iPhone, iPod or iPad, you can now download a special web browser called “Skyfire” from the iTunes store that will enable you to watch the services on those devices, also. I tried this when I was away recently and it was wonderful to sit in a state far away from my home and participate in the services as they were happening.

What we need for you to do is to send invitations to your friends and family to inform them about this Internet streaming service so they can watch our services, too. It is free to watch and I believe could potentially be life-changing for many. Join me in praying that God will enable us to enlarge our viewing audience through this new medium of outreach to the far reaches of the earth. The Internet is bringing the world closer to us and us closer to the world so that we may give them the glorious message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Last Word on Harold Camping...

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve all been made loathsomely aware of the doomsday prediction of Harold Camping. The news media was quick to pick up on his ruminations about the end of the world partly (I think) because it gives them opportunity to ridicule Christianity in general. I’ll admit that I, too, made fun of Mr. Camping as the day of his prediction drew near. To not distance yourself from his foolishness made it too easy for people to lump you together with him, since he claims to be a Christian and follow the Bible. I also joked about his prediction because it was incredibly presumptuous on his part, setting aside the sheer heresy of making such a claim. It was either laugh at his overt arrogance or boil over with anger for the shame and reproach he was bringing on the name of Christ. I chose the first over the latter for the sake of my own sanity. Of course, he is not the first to lay claim to possessing an inside track to God’s sovereign timetable, nor, I'm sure, will he be the last. Unfortunately, there always seems to be somebody waiting in the wings that thinks God has given him a special knowledge that has been withheld from every other diligent student of the Bible throughout the ages.

Now that Mr. Camping's mathematically deciphered “doomsday” prediction has passed (though he's now changed the date to be October, 2011), I feel compelled to make one final, clarifying statement about this whole matter before closing the chapter on him and moving on. 

While I believe that Mr. Camping and all others like him are to be dismissed out of hand whenever they make such ludicrous predictions, I do not want people to also dismiss the biblical truth that one day Christ will return. The Second Coming of Jesus is as theologically true as the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith, the virgin birth, the sacrificial and vicarious death of Jesus, the bodily resurrection of our Savior, the infallibility/inspiration of the Bible, etc. There will be a time when Christians are caught out of this world followed by a terrible time of judgment known as the Tribulation (Revelation 4-19) before Christ establishes His Kingdom on earth. That's the eschatology that I believe is systematically revealed in Scripture. Though good theologians may debate some of the finer points of the doctrine of the Second Coming, ultimately, they all affirm the orthodox position that He will come again. The primary problem with Mr. Camping (and others like him) was that he presumed to know the exact timing of end-time events when God has clearly indicated that no man knows the day or hour they will occur (Matthew 25:13).

There are numerous references that affirm the biblical truth of the Second Coming. For instance, when Jesus ascended back to Heaven following His resurrection the angels said He would come again (Acts 1:11). Jesus Himself told His disciples that if He went away He would return for His followers (John 14:1-6). Paul speaks about the coming of Christ being a comforting hope for the believer (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and the writer of Hebrews says we should eagerly await His return (Hebrews 9:28).  John says that those who are expecting His coming will spiritually prepare for it (1 John 3:1-3) and he also closes the Revelation with a prayer for His coming, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). I wholeheartedly affirm what the Scripture teaches...one day Jesus will answer John’s prayer. Until that day, you and I should be busy about the Lord’s work seeking to glorify Him and leading others to faith in Him.

Don’t let yourself be deceived by any person who says he knows the exact timing of our Lord’s return, but neither let yourself be cynical about the promise of His coming.

Don't Judge Me!!

Don’t judge me! That’s an oft heard refrain from people who are sometimes trying to justify conduct they know is wrong. Granted, some people can be overly “judgmental” and harsh, at times. But, more often than not, when a person makes this kind of statement it is because he is stinging from the rebuke of his own guilty conscience.

As amazing as it may sound, it seems to me that some people just don’t want you to make any judgments about a person’s conduct or character anymore. But, I wonder if they have ever stopped to consider the consequences of such a position? For instance, should we not judge someone as to whether he/she is responsible enough to take our children/grandchildren away on trips? Should we not judge someone as to whether he/she has the qualifications and integrity to handle our personal and/or business finances? Should we not judge the truthfulness of the telemarketer that says he’ll ship the item as soon as he receives our check? Should we not judge the moral character of the teacher that has unrestricted access and authority over our students? Should we not judge the criminal who believes he deserves his freedom because he’s a changed man?

Dominic Cinelli was serving three concurrent life sentences when he was paroled by the Massachusetts Parole Board. He was a violent offender with a long criminal history, but he won his release by telling the board members that his drug counseling and the death of his mother had truly changed him. This past year on December 26, 2010, Dominic killed a police officer, who was the father of two young children, during a department store robbery. Don’t you see how bad judgment can have severe or even fatal consequences?

Now certainly, most people complaining about being “judged” aren’t going to kill you for pointing out their bad behavior. But, failure to use good judgment is the reason corrupt politicians keep getting elected to office. It’s the reason young people are introduced to drugs by their peers. It’s the reason spouses get involved in sordid affairs. It’s the reason the Bernie Madoffs of the world are successful in scamming people. It’s the reason churches are split by seemingly spiritual people that are really wolves in sheep’s clothing.

You get the point, don’t you? Judging conduct and character is absolutely necessary to maintain a safe, spiritual and orderly life. If you fail to use good judgment, you will quickly become known as being gullible and considered naive by most people. Those that fail to make appropriate judgments about conduct and character inevitably become the prey of nefarious prowlers.

Oh, but someone will say, “The Bible says we’re not to judge, doesn’t it?” Just making that statement or one similar to it displays the gullibility and naivete of the one who advances it. And, those that scream the loudest telling us that Christians shouldn’t be judgmental have rarely read the entire passage where the text is found and certainly don’t know the context before and after it.

Yes, the Bible says, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” (Matthew 7:1) But, that doesn’t mean we are supposed to suspend all judgment at all times. Later, in the same chapter, we are instructed to make good judgments about people, conduct and character. Read it for yourself and pay careful attention to the parts of the text that usually get overlooked or ignored by those who are trying to defend their own evil conduct and/or guilty conscience.

What is really forbidden is “condemning” another person with a harsh, self-righteous spirit. And, might I add, no one should ever approach another person with correction when it is done in that spirit. None of us is above failing and all of us have come short of God’s perfect standard. However, we had better learn to make sound judgments about people and their conduct/character. If we don’t, we are sure to be the Devil’s “sitting ducks” and he’ll pick us off one at a time.

It’s time we stopped being afraid of the “judgmental” label and that we begged God to give us a discerning spirit to make insightful, though humble, judgments. Our world is dying for lack of discernment about good and bad, right and wrong. Too many Christians are unable to recognize their enemy from their friend. Consequently, they buddy up with the very people/things that are going to bring them down.

It’s time we stopped believing that everybody has a right to define truth as they want it to be and that we declare, “Thus says the Lord!” We don’t need to be mean-spirited, but if you can’t point out the profligate character and conduct of people (e.g., Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan) that is destroying their lives and others with them, then your family has no chance of knowing right from wrong. What we need is some conviction from people who serve the God who defines right and wrong. It would be better to be thought by some to be “judgmental” than to be known by most as being “spineless.”

It’s not my place or yours to “condemn” anybody. But, I’m not about to be silent about the things that I know God defines as right or wrong. How about you?

I Love My Church

Almost every major invention, work of art, musical composition, or professional accomplishment has been achieved because someone was intensely passionate about getting it done. Passion is an integral part of what drives people in sports, recreation, politics, movies, careers and a myriad of other things. And, if you want to visibly see passion, tune in to your favorite sporting event and watch the fans, and listen to them cheer for their team. Admittedly, some of their exuberance may be over the top, but it all serves to illustrate what passion looks like in real life.

Passion is what you talk about, think about, and dream about on a regular basis. It’s what you sacrifice to achieve without complaint. It’s where you find your identity and you feel like you belong. Actually, there’s nothing wrong with living life passionately, but Christians must keep in mind that their greatest passion must be for the things of God. And, His church certainly fits in that category.

This year our church is focusing on a biblical truth that comes out of the life of Jesus and is summarized in the phrase, “I Love My Church.” This is first and foremost a description of how Christ feels about His church. The Apostle Paul, writing in Ephesians says, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her...” (5:25). There could be no greater display of God’s passion for His church than on that hillside outside the ancient walled city of Jerusalem. Jesus didn’t just paint His body, memorize team statistics, buy a ticket to the big game, and join other fans to yell cheers at the top of His lungs. He “gave Himself up” for her, meaning He died for His church. It seems that if God loves His church that much...we should love it, too.

Each quarter this year we will be focusing on a different aspect of our passion for His church. The first quarter of 2011 we are looking at our “passionate commitment” to His church. This certainly is one of the greatest ways for us to demonstrate our love for God. Someone that is passionate about something will inevitably make a commitment to it. He’ll purchase a ticket to the big game, schedule to be in front of the TV (if he can’t attend), spend money on team gear, endure harsh conditions to be in the stands, and show up hours early before it starts. When we translate that kind of passion into the spiritual realm we find that it leads to a deeper commitment to be a part of and participate in Christ's church. If we are passionate about the things of God we will prioritize the church so that all secondary concerns flow around, not over, our commitment. The passionate followers of Jesus will never question what they will be doing on Sunday. Their passion for God and His church causes everything else to “flow around” their primary commitment to be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s Day.

Pastor/Author Joshua Harris posed a poignant question in a conference where he was speaking about commitment to the church. He asked the congregation, “Are you married to God’s church or are you just dating the church?” Obviously, one of the major differences between marriage and dating is the level of commitment possessed by those involved. And yet, commitment to the church is one of the greatest “blind-spots” in many Christians’ lives. John Stott said it well: “If the church is central to God's purpose as seen in both history and the gospel, it must surely also be central to our lives. How can we take lightly what God takes so seriously?"

Join us each Sunday as we discover a renewed passion for the things of Christ and His church. Over the four quarters of this year we will be considering matters such as commitment, community, care, and celebration in His church. These are all part of being a passionate follower of Jesus. Truth be told, I pray that everyone of us will be able to say with Christ, “I love my church.”