2 CHRONICLES 14-16: ASA

When reading a narrative a reader must look for clues, themes, etc that foreshadow what will happen at the end of the story. After reading the whole story, those clues and themes make greater sense, and are read in light of the rest of the story. When reading stories like Romeo and Juliet, The Odyssey, or The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, etc we do not dissect the earlier episodes without putting them in the context of the entire story. It would be like analyzing act two of Romeo and Juliet without seeing the clues and themes that foreshadow the tragic movement of the plot. The same must be done when reading the OT, because there are “clues” and themes that point forward to fulfillment in Christ. This is true in the life of King Asa

ASA

The story of Asa is found in 2 Chronicles 14-16. Asa begins as a righteous king who does “good and right in the eyes of the Lord (14:2).” The land is quiet and at rest under his kingship, and even when Zerah the Ethiopian marches against Asa with a million man army, he is defeated. Asa is granted a miraculous victory from God and rest because he trusts in the Lord and cries out to Him for deliverance (14:11-12). This is a fulfillment of Yahweh’s promises to David (2 Sam 7). David’s sons are to be warrior-kings who fight for His people, in dependence upon God. God promises to cut off David’s enemies and give rest to the people and the land. David’s Son will be a Son of God (i.e. Adam, ruling as God’s representative). There is conditionality. When David’s sons are disobedient, they will be chastened with the rod. When they are faithful, there will be blessings of power, peace, etc. Asa’s humble dependence upon Yahweh as a faithful son is already bringing those blessings.

A prophet, Azariah, comes to Asa and preaches to him. He tells Asa that “The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” The King is the representative head for the people. When the kings are faithful the nation is blessed. When the kings are unfaithful the nation is cursed (i.e. sins of Manasseh eventually responsible for the exile). The head-body relationship of King Jesus with his church is not something that just shows up in the NT. The King embodies the nation as its head. So, there is ALWAYS a need in Israel for a king who obeys God wholly (i.e. who seeks Yahweh and does not forsake Him) so as to bring victory and peace for the people. Asa applies Azariah’s preaching and brings religious reform to Judah and removes idolatry. He even removes the Queen Mother. Leithart writes, “Asa is a true disciple, who hates his mother to follow Yahweh (Lk 14:26; Leithart, 1 & 2 Kings, pg. 116).” His reform is bringing a reunification of Israel and Judah (e.g. Ezek. 37), because some from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon see that “the Lord his God [is] with him (15:9).”

Yet, the story takes a bad turn, when Asa ends up relying on man, not God. King Baasha of Israel comes up against Judah (with a much smaller army than Zerah the Ethiopian). Asa makes a treaty with Syria, giving the treasures of the Temple to form an alliance with Ben-Hadad. Syria defeats Baasha and Israel. It is not stated why Asa relies on Syria rather than God. Two possibilities as I see it: 1) He thought he could handle a smaller army with his own ingenuity rather than God (pride) or 2) He was afraid.

Hanani, the seer, confronts and condemns Asa for his action. God’s judgment on Asa is that from now on war will characterize his kingdom rather than peace (i.e. cursing and chastening of 2 Sam 7). Asa relied on God against the Ethiopians, but in this matter he relied on the King of Syria. How could he do such a thing? “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars (16:9).” Asa is no longer a humble Son of God. He is depending upon man (the arm of the flesh). Asa does not receive the rebuke. He throws Hanani in prison.
     
Asa ends up getting a foot disease, and the Bible says that “even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians (16:12).” A sick king symbolizes a sick nation. All the stability of his earlier reign is gone. Asa actually ends up having his own tomb constructed for himself, and he is buried there after his death in Jerusalem.
     
Instead of reading this episode merely as an historical portrait of a Davidic King, we should read it as one episode in the big storyline of the Bible. This storyline is dominated with the theme (clues) of the Son of God/David/King of Israel/Messiah. Asa is a messiah, an anointed king. Israel is looking for and needs a faithful Son of David to rise up, who will be loyal to Yahweh, relying on Him only, who will defeat their enemies and bring peace. Yahweh will answer His Son in times of trouble, if the Son will only rely on Him. The problem is that David’s sons are loyal and humble and dependent only for a little while. They all fall short, and the people’s hopes for a warrior-king lie dead in Jerusalem tombs.
     
There is a promise that a man will come along who will crush this power of death (Gen 3:15). He will be a Son of David (2 Sam 7), who sits on an eternal throne. Yet, every single king in the OT ends up dead and rotting in their own tombs because the wages of sin is death. Asa starts off so well with victory and peace, relying on God. Yet, he ends up digging his own tomb, where he lies dead, embalmed with spices (16:14).
      
In the big storyline we see the familiar refrain of a Son of David buried in Jerusalem, and yet you come to the NT and there is a Son of David who does not need his own tomb. He borrows one for three days only. And when the ladies come to embalm him with spices on Sunday morning, as the Jews had done with every other King who died before, all they found were grave clothes because he was not there. Why? Because eyes of the Lord had run to and fro over the whole earth seeking to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart was loyal to Him, and those eyes rested on one man, Jesus Christ. He had every opportunity to rely on the arm of the flesh as Asa had (Wilderness, Garden of Gethsemane, Cross, etc.), but he relied on God. He did not forsake the Lord; he was found by the Lord. God lifted up his dependent child, out of the dust of death, and seated him on a throne where all of his enemies are being put under his feet. He is the warrior king defeating his enemies and bringing quiet to the land (Heb. 2). As this king’s great, great, great, great……….Grandfather had written, “Now I know that the LORD saves His Messiah (anointed); He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright (Psa 20:6-8).”

 

We had our hip hop concert, dunk and 3 point contests Friday November 21^st. Many young men and ladies showed up for the evening’s activities. They got to see some very competitive basketball. They also heard a great concert from hip hop artist Flame. The crowd, made up of mostly lost people, was hesitant at first, but he won them over by the end of the evening. Many got into the music. All got to hear Flame tell his testimony and give a clear and powerful articulation of the Gospel. Several signed cards indicating that they had questions and wanted to speak with someone about spiritual issues further. After the event I got a chance to interview Flame/Marcus Gray. He has become a friend and a brother in Christ whose ministry I greatly appreciate. We had a conversation about his background, hip hop and the Gospel, how he composes songs and many other things. I hope this interview is helpful to us as we continue to think about issues of missiology, contextualization and what it means to be Baptist in the 21st century.

Early last summer some of my staff and I were on an Acts 17 mission driving around our community observing the culture. There are several churches in our area that are trying very similar things in ministry and outreach to reach very similar people. But, during our drive we noticed a segment of the population who is largely neglected. They were 19-29 year old young men who play basketball nearly every single day, wear baggy clothes strategically placed to show off inked skin, work (or don’t work) part time to support various addictions, go from relationship to relationship sometimes producing children, and are heavily influenced regardless of race by hip hop music. These men, we recognized, may be directionless now and lacking maturity, but in reality they are the future of our community. They are in desperate need of being rescued by King Jesus and maturing into a manhood that is more about biblical masculinity than a macho bravado and locker room mentality. We decided that we were going to try our best and go after these guys.

What did we do? We started an open gym night in an amazing gym facility that God has provided at our campus. We began to have 20 or so guys showing up every week with whom we were building relationships. Then, we began to plan and promote a community 3 on 3 tournament. The event was a huge success. We had over 150 people in attendance. That meant more relationships and more chances for Gospel witness because since then we have been having at least 50 guys show up for each week’s open gym. What was the next step?

When we took that drive back in the summer and observed this sub-culture we recognized immediately two predominant things that interested them: basketball and hip hop music. We knew that we had the facilities and guys who could connect with these young men through basketball. We said, “This is out there but what might really be cool is a hip hop service of some kind with open gym afterwards…” But, we said we are as far from hip hop as anybody can be. Then, Ronnie Parrott, our student minister and contributor at Baptist 21, told me that he knew of a Christian rapper who goes to Boyce College. He is really good. He is with Cross Movement. His name is “Flame”. He is nationally known and travelled. He is theologically sound and lyrically talented. He uses hip hop as a medium to communicate Gospel theology. His last two albums, “Our World Fallen” and “Our World Redeemed,” have walked listeners through the Grand Story of Redemption. So, we decided to approach him and get his counsel on how to use hip hop to reach out to some of these guys. We began a friendship with him, and he was extremely gracious in giving ideas on what this might look like. We tossed around all kinds of ideas from concerts to hip hop services. We decided that we would begin the basketball events to meet people, develop relationships, etc. Then, we would begin to incorporate hip hop. So, our next step/event is this Friday night November 21. We will be hosting off-campus at a community center gym a hip hop concert with 3 point and dunk contests plus free food. Flame will be there to entertain and share his testimony with these guys.

There has been a lot of discussion lately in evangelical circles about contextualization, which mediums can be redeemed, what mediums can be used to communicate the Gospel, etc. Even the issue of Christian Rap has become quite popular. Dr. Russell Moore interviewed Flame on the Albert Mohler Radio Show. They discussed the merits of using hip hop as a Christian medium. Both Mark Driscoll and the Worship Pastor at Mars Hill recently interviewed Lecrae, another Christian artist with Reach Records who has everything from hip hop albums to a curriculum through the Pauline Epistles to manhood studies. You can download all of these interviews on itunes.

I would like to hear from you. What do you think about Christian Rap? Do you think Hip Hop, with all of its baggage and connotations, can be used as a medium that faithfully communicates the Gospel of King Jesus to lost young men? What would be your opinion of incorporating elements of hip hop in a worship service? Let me know.

If you want more info on the event this Friday go to www.comingtothevalley.com

This post is the final post in a series that has focused on the insights gained from D.A. Carson’s “The Cross and Christian Ministry.” This final post focuses on more implications drawn from his work as he examines I Corinthians and the effect of the Cross on ministry. Carson’s work has challenged me and so I hope that this final blog relays that truth; I do not in anyway hope to portray that I have mastered this in my personal ministry. I do not intend to indicate that I know how to best implement or lead this kind of ministry, the areas I address instead I have drawn from Carson’s work and the example of men godlier, wiser, and more mature than I am. This post is a challenge to me and I hope to the rest of us as well.

The cross will affect our Mission- Carson says Christians should become “all things to all men” without damaging the message of the Gospel; knowing that “there will be times when it is necessary to confront culture” (122). We will be willing to give up “real rights” for a greater cause. A list of things that may need to be given up for the mission could be discussed, but this is more a matter of conscience in individual cases. Nevertheless, this mission is nothing less than the salvation of the world. What a wonderful misson and what a merciful God who allows us to be a part of it! We are compelled by the cross to receive this cosmic battle plan and to strive to be ministers who can serve in any context. This can be done if we die to self and give up our “real rights” for the sake of the perishing. We must ask above all, “How will this course of action contribute to, or hinder, the work of the Gospel?” This question should be attached to everything we do; this is a question that seeks to keep the cross central.

This will also affect whom we minister to, knowing that all different kinds of people eschew the wisdom of this age. The Southern Baptist Convention, traditionally, has been a denomination that is to be condemned in the area of racism. In light of the cross, I hope the future years see a very diverse SBC. The Cross-is color blind, but race is not the only factor. There is no type of person that is out of the reach of the sovereign God who is on mission to redeem some from every tribe. The greatest show of power and wisdom exploded on the scene at Golgotha. In light of this, racism, classism, sexism, social elitism, etc. are strictly condemned in light of the work of cross—the work of the cross is a cross-cultural work.

The cross will affect how and by what means we attempt to build a church and how we “do church”- “Number games” are always the temptation for the gospel minister. The recognition that comes from grand numbers is coveted. However, the measure of the cross means we seek one “well done” and that does not come from the lips of mere men. Christian ministers are servants and God will hold them accountable for how they build and handle the church of the living God.  Carson says, “God cares about His Church, and he holds its leaders accountable for how they build it” (75). So the minister must avoid distracting from the gospel, coveting the notoriety of the world or the denomination, heresy, apathy, focusing on peripheral matters as “hills to die on”, superficial conversions, and as Carson puts it, “Entertaining people to death but never fostering the beauty of holiness or the centrality of self-crucifying love” (83). Carson’s note about “entertaining to death” is especially applicable to our current context. Innovations are great, but we must be careful that they do not distract or detract from the gospel (as I hear Danny Akin often say).  Carson continues, “(This) will build an assembly of religious people, but it will destroy the church of the Living God” (83-84). In light of the cross, we must not seek to work through our own innovations and plans and in so doing sideline the gospel. David Platt, pastor of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, relayed the idea that it is possible to get to the end of our ministry and realize we have done our gospel work without the Spirit. This is not to say that we do not seek to contextualize and be relevant, but if we do this to the disregard of the Spirit, it is counter-intuitive to the gospel and is to our detriment, shame, and ignorance. Carson gives an example of how we love to be so “smooth” and pretty in our services. He speaks of the transitions of the stage done through the prayer time. The time when we are addressing Lord of the Heavens and Earth, we spend as a stage change. He says rather poignantly, “Has the smoothness of the performance become more important to us then the fear of the Lord?”(38). There is something here for us to chew on and digest for some time. If we build a ministry on personality (no matter how winsome), entertainment, programs, or any number of other things (not in and of themselves evil) then we are not focused on the cross and it is doubtful that real disciples are being made. In light of the work of the cross, we should be fearful and somber of how we play games in church because on the final day we will be held accountable for how we do this.

Finally, it means that we will be humble in how we “do church”. He says, “Is there nothing to be gained from wide exposure to the company of saints in many parts of the world who have expressed their adoration of the Savior with richness of hymnody we can never exhaust, but which we ignore to our detriment” (89). There have been some great things written on contextualization at “Between the Times”, it is something that should be at the forefront of our minds. The NT church did not have pianos or organs, much to the chagrin of many in our more mainline SBC churches. So we all contextualize. We must be careful as younger ministers not to stick our noses up at the tastes of the older, just as they should be careful in avoiding the same prejudice toward us. The way of the cross promotes humility; this will encourage peaceful dialogue about differing agendas, including topics like music styles. Young people need to be careful here of arrogance and older folks need to be careful of obstinacy. Perhaps we should all strive to appreciate a wider variety of worship styles and ways to do ministry.

The cross will affect our pride and it will make us servants willing to suffer -Carson says of the modern Western Evangelical attitude that it is “deeply infected with the virus of Triumphalism, and the resulting illness destroys humility, minimizes grace and offers far too much homage to the money and influence and ‘wisdom’ of our day” (29). Unfortunately, our SBC churches love the idea of triumphalism. We love to say we are the biggest and the baddest. Do not get me wrong–I love the SBC.  And I wish to remain a servant in the SBC until death do we part, but we have to be honest here. We have fallen in love too many times with ourselves, our plans, and our programs, instead of with the cross. The cross shames that kind of thinking. Also, our congregations are filled with those that bask in the blessings of the West. Again this in and of itself is no bad thing as this prosperity makes many things for the sake of the kingdom possible. But western prosperity can also so easily ensnare us and cause us sideline the gospel. Carson’s quote helps get to the heart of the matter, “Many of us are well-to-do… with little incentive to live in vibrant anticipation of Christ’s Return. Our desire for the approval of the world often outstrips our desire for Jesus’ ‘well done!’ on the last day” (108). A rabid focus on the cross will help us obliterate that kind of thinking; instead, we will long to hear those words, words from the lips of the one who hung on the cross for us.

A Final Word here: A Cross-Focus will help us create ministries that stand the test of time: Regrettably Southern Baptists have example after example of churches that are built on what amounts to “wood, hay, and stubble” (I Cor. 3). The ministries of many do not stand the test of time. How often do we see churches that seriously decline within one generation of a leader leaving? Instead, the cross should compel us to leave behind ministries that will go on, that will continually transfer the faith from one generation to the next in that location. The cult of personality is too strong in our convention; the light of the cross is too weak. We should seek to build ministries anchored to one personality—Our Lord Jesus Christ! Here are a few thoughts for pastors on what this might look like in our local churches (much of this I also gather from watching godly men who are doing this well, like my pastor Dwayne Milioni):

• (2 Timothy 2:2) Teach and disciple men who will teach others. Do not be threatened by others training and discipling in your church.  You are commanded to instill and encourage it. Train! In addition, encourage older women to mentor and disciple younger women and encourage this in and out of bible studies.

• Raise up leaders in your congregation; push some to the office of elder who fit the profile and aspire to the calling. (Be a reproducible man and a reproducible church).

• Take discipleship and training in the Word seriously. Those that follow should know the Word and be able to carry on in the discipleship others. This is where true strength in our churches will take place.

• Share your pulpit with the other elders. Although your pulpit should be attached to you, it is to your detriment and the detriment of your ministry if you move off the scene and the whole thing falls apart because no one has been trained to fill your role as a teacher.

• Build Community among the congregation that is not linked merely to your Sunday morning preaching. The church to which I belong (Open Door Baptist in Raleigh, NC) does a wonderful job with small group ministries. I think this helps promote the kind of biblical fellowship that the Word calls us to cultivate.

Carson’s focus on the message of 1 Corinthians delivers wonderful principles for the gospel minister. I hope that the implications I have drawn over the course of this three-post series are faithful to his work. I write this as a challenge to friends and to myself so that we would constantly keep the cross at the center of our ministries. I hope that this also can be a good reminder to the older, godly men in whose footsteps we will follow as future pastors. In that light, may we never allow personalities, personas, and programs to dominate our outlook.  Instead, may we see ourselves as servants compelled to live understanding the cross. May this affect our creed and conduct. This may not make us “successful” or popular by world’s standards, but neither were Jesus or the apostles, instead it will make us a people who hope to know nothing “except Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).

Again, if you have not read Carson’s “Cross and Christian Ministry” I highly recommend it. It is a short read, but it is full of pertinent information for those of us that aspire to be faithful gospel minist

This Article is Written by Guest Blogger: Brandt Waggoner- College Minister at Christ Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC and Mdiv student at SEBTS

During the past few months campaign signs of every color have littered leaf-covered yards, slam campaign ads have littered airways, and bumper stickers have touted the driver’s candidate of choice. I have grown so callous to all of this campaigning that I almost don’t even notice the signs and stickers anymore. Yet, one bumper sticker successfully caught my attention. This sticker was white with blue and red lettering that spelled out “Jesus For President 2008.” I have seen many awful “Christian” bumper stickers, but this one particularly irked me. Are we truly willing to place the name of Christ among the names of political candidates begging for our votes? It is true that Christ is the greatest leader the world has ever seen, but it belittles His great name to place it on a sticker for a position that is greatly inadequate.

Beyond the owner of this sticker, many Christians have grown exceedingly anxious over the presidential race. The candidates have claimed that Americans should place our hope in them, because they will deliver us from our problems and lead us to a better future. Unfortunately, many Christians have done just what they have asked and mistakenly placed their hope of salvation in a fallen man instead of a faultless Savior. Some Christians have placed their faith in the victor, Barack Obama, to set right all that is ill with the world. Other Christians, who supported John McCain, have grown hopeless at the prospect of living for four or eight years under Obama’s leadership.

The book of Hebrews offers correction to this mindset and encouragement to the downcast, reminding us that as Christians our hope is not to be placed in a presidential candidate who will “work for us,” but in the reigning King who laid down His life for us. We find these words in Hebrews 6:13-20,

“For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying ‘Surely I will bless you and multiply you.’ And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For People swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes, an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

In this passage, the author of Hebrews gives the example of God’s promise to Abraham, which after waiting patiently, he obtained when his wife bore him Isaac in her old age. This gives us confidence that God is trustworthy and fulfills His promises. Those who are heirs of Abraham, not through ethnicity, but through Abraham-like faith, are also “heirs of the promise” God made to Abraham. The promised “seed” of Abraham would come many years after Abraham’s death in the person of Jesus Christ. In a world filled with constant change, verse 17 reminds us that God remains unchangeable and fulfills his promises by giving Abraham a son, and through his lineage, a Messiah. It is in this Messiah, Jesus, that we are to place our hope, because as we are reminded in 2 Corinthians, “All the promises of God find their Yes in Him.” This is not a hope that can be swayed by the events of this life, but it is a “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” This hope is not in a man who sits behind a desk in the Oval Office, but in a man who “enters into the inner place behind the curtain.” Our hope is not placed in a President who empathizes with us, but in a Great High Priest who continually intercedes for us. Our hope is not in an elected office that expires after four or at most eight years, but in a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek who, as Hebrews 7 tells us, has “neither beginning of days nor end of life” and who “continues as a priest forever.” If our hope is in our eternal High Priest, our Forever King on a Forever Throne, our Good Shepherd, there is no reason to ever lose hope because He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

So, the bumper sticker parading “Jesus For President” fails because it gives Him far too little credit. His position is much more than the Commander in Chief; He is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21). He does not need to plead for votes, or anxiously await the approval of the Electoral College because He knows that one day, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). So we must not fall into turmoil over the present because we know what is to come. We have read the end of the story. We know that God will put the period at the end of the sentence of human history. Revelation tells us that our King will defeat Satan and even Death itself, and will bring about “a new heaven and a new earth” (21:1). Under His reign “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (21:4). This is not the empty promise of a slogan or a pithy bumper sticker–this is hope we can believe in!

This week we are highlighting the preaching of our writers. We are continuing the series’ from Nick Moore and Jon Akin. Nick Moore continues his series in the Gospel of Matthew with a sermon entitled “Kingdom Greatness and The Grace of God” from Matthew 20. Jon Akin’s series on the Heroes of the Faith continues with a sermon entitled “The Gospel According to Daniel”. In addition, this week we are including sermons from Ronnie Parrot and Scott Wilson. Ronnie Parrott preached a sermon from Acts 9 at Highview Baptist Church Valley Station Campus entitled “The Passion of the Persecuted” and Scott Wilson preached a sermon from Matthew 11 entitled “The Light Life” at Christ Baptist Church. Check out these young preacher’s sermons. Also make sure to let us know who you would like to see us interview from SBC Life.

(Note: Please, bare with the sound quality from Jon Akin’s sermon. If ever you have a question email us at: Baptist21@gmail.com)

The first post in this series can be found here.

Carson’s “Cross and Christian Ministry” should don the library of every gospel minister or aspiring minister. I commend this book especially to those of us (like the Baptist 21 writers) who are preparing for gospel ministry. In addition, it should don the bookshelves of pastors who have been along the “trail of the years” in ministry, as we should never lose sight of the cross as we seek to shepherd those purchased by the precious blood of our King. I will attempt to glean implications based on the themes that Carson mined out of the Apostle’s first epistle to the Corinthian Church, and seek to assemble the picture of the minister who lives under the cross.

• The cross will affect what we preach- “the cross not only establishes what we are to preach, but how we are to preach… these sections from 1 Corinthians must be learned afresh by every generation of Christians, or the gospel will be sidelined by assorted fads” (9-10). The gospel minister seeks to know nothing except “Christ and Him crucified.” We have written on the importance of this on this site. This often makes me think of “the sign of Jonah”, which is an amazing narrative if you think about it. These men are asking for a sign from the Lord of creation. They are standing on ground that he spoke into existence. They have probably seen him heal and perform miracles and yet they ask him to show them “power.” Jesus responds, the same way the Apostle Paul is pleading for us to respond, I have nothing to show you except the gospel. These men must have been let down, and the Apostle Paul says they “miss it.” They miss that the ultimate sign of power is the “sign of Jonah”. The only means of salvation (an incredible miracle, the transformation of a life) is through this man going through the belly of “sheol” and coming out victorious over the grave. Ironically, it is the greatest sign the world has ever seen. They don’t see it, Paul tells us why (they think it is foolishness), and sadly often times we do not evidence that we see it in our preaching. This is what we are called to - - we are to look at the people in our congregations and the nations around us and show them the “sign of Jonah”, the most powerful and wise sign we know. The only thing we can show them is the gospel and it is the power of salvation.

Carson says “fads” will sideline the gospel, and we see that in some of our churches. This is more than just the “prosperity gospel”, although it entails that. We must avoid in our SBC pulpits preaching that imitates Fosdick (self-help). We should instead imitate men like Spurgeon who make “beelines” to the cross. Carson says “They (gospel ministers) will be wary of ‘gospel’ preaching that talks much about God meeting our needs and enabling us to feel fulfilled, if it is not squarely anchored in the message of the cross” (56). Carson adds, “Biblical preaching emphasizes the gospel and constantly elevates Christ Crucified” (40). This is the calling of the cross-centered minister.

• The Cross will affect how we preach- Again this is a message of “foolishness” to those who are perishing, but the power of the message is in the cross. The spirit does not act apart from this message, so it is “foolish” of the minister to seek to work through his own wisdom or cunning. The cross-focused minister preaches without ploy or manipulation.  A word of concern needs mentioning here. This manipulative spirit seems expressly evident in Youth evangelism. Carson addresses this with warning. This is often for the sake of reporting “conversion numbers” evangelists manipulate youth (or even older men and women) by appealing wrongly to fear or manipulating them through shaming them. They may call them out in the crowd or ask for those to come forward that want to “follow Christ”, or may make a completely irresponsible statement like “if you’re 99% sure your saved, you’re a 100% lost.” Many manipulative techniques like these are used, but we need to heed the warning not to connive and ploy and manipulate. Instead we must preach with humility understanding the power of the cross is revealed to those whom the Spirit illumines. The Spirit illumines through the gospel message, which comes only through gospel preaching in every message. This quote from Carson sums up the matter, “That same Spirit prompts the spiritually-minded… to preach it (the cross)… they will strenuously avoid all ostentatious display; they will abandon all cheap manipulation; they will be happy to embrace the scandal of the cross, for the cross is what redeemed them” (56).

• The cross will affect how we minister- Cason says the gospel minister will enforce the way of the cross among his people. This covers two key topics, discipleship and discipline. Discipleship is the neglected aspect of the great commission call. The reason so many of our SBC churches are impoverished theologically is the lack of gospel-centered preaching and the lack of discipleship at the local church. I mean men on men training, living life together, sharpening one another, praying for one another, holding each other to account, and spurring one another on in study of the scripture so that the workman of God may be approved. Instead, we hear our sermons and go home. Thabiti Anybwile said in SEBTS chapel that we should be pushing all of our members to strive to be elders. That is the calling for the Christian, now not all will be “called” by God to that assignment, but that does not mean that they do not strive for it. This cannot happen without the minister of the gospel investing in the lives of his congregation. He will disciple through the pulpit and through “life together” training with men. Godly women will do the same with younger women in the faith. Secondly, Church discipline shows the enforcing of the way of the cross in a congregation. I will not write on it because several articles of note have come out on this topic. Some articles of note, one from our own Nick Moore and others from Ken Keathley and Danny Akin at Between the Times. The cross-focused leader will enforce the implications of the cross in the church, hoping to hear the “well done” of the master because he helped shepherd a flock from the wolves and from themselves.

• The cross will affect how we live and how we serve- Carson establishes that the Christian leader must recognize that he is a servant entrusted with the gospel and the care of people redeemed by Christ. This is a mighty, holy calling, not to be trifled with. Sadly, often times there are stories of pastors that work for financial gain or that abuse a people. We seek money, fame, cars, big houses, and comfortable living. This is not a minister that sees his ministry in light of the cross (I am not saying that there should be no compensation and provision for your family). This is hardly the elder pictured in First Peter 5. Instead, we must challenge ourselves to be servants, to follow the example of the Chief Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, and if necessary gives up the amenities. This is a call also to holiness. In light of the work of Christ and our redemption, we must endeavor to be “holy as He is holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) This is missing in the younger generation (see Wilson’s post) and this is missing in some of the older generations as well. This leaves no room for “rock star” pastors. Instead, what is needed is a commitment to a life of service and humility. Maybe one of the reasons some of our churches are in a wreck, especially in SBC life, is because of Pastors who are “pop stars” and not servants. Our calling, in light of the cross, is to serve and protect the flock. Nevertheless, it may just mean that we need more books on holiness than contextualization. Carson is clear, “We must return again and again to the cross of Jesus Christ if we are to take the measure of our Christian living, our Christian service, our Christian ministry” (13). In light of the cross, there should only be one star, the Bright and the Morning star.

A Final post in this series will deal with the cross’ implication for the church ministry and mission.

Most scholars agree with Julius Wellhausen that the conclusion to the book of Amos (Amos 9:11-15) is not authentic and was not written by Amos. The reason they believe it cannot be authentic is that the tone of Amos’ message changes drastically from merciless judgment to merciful blessing. He spends nine and half chapters aggressively promising his wrath to Israel, and then all of a sudden the tone changes to grace and restoration. Wellhausen’s famous quote which poetically gives the reasoning for his argument is that the conclusion is “roses and lavender instead of blood and iron…After he has just surpassed widely all his earlier menaces, he cannot suddenly break off their point, he cannot pour out of the cup of Yahweh’s wrath finally milk and honey.” The reason why scholars have accepted the conclusion of Wellhausen is actually quite simple and has nothing to do with textual form, grammar, syntax, ancient culture, background, or anything else. The reason scholars do not understand the book of Amos and its conclusion is that they do not understand the gospel. They say God cannot be wrathful for an entire book and then quickly turn around and promise hope and blessing. He cannot preach through Amos the judgment, exile, and death of Israel, and then turn around and talk about the resurrection and blessing of Israel in the same place. Hope emerges out of death. That is the Gospel! That is the message of Amos. Amos teaches that Israel will die under inescapable judgment. Yahweh is the one God who rules the whole earth, and he treats all sinners the same, death. Yet, death leads ultimately to resurrection and the fulfillment of the promises to David. Amos tells us that judgment is not for Israel alone, but also for the nations (Amos 1-2). But, resurrection and blessing is not for Israel alone either, it is for the nations (Amos 9).

Amos spends most of his book describing God’s wrath against Israel for her sins and violation of Torah. He begins condemning the sins (crimes against humanity, not specific violations of Torah) of the nations that surround Israel and promising his judgment on them. Then, he moves to the sins of Israel and his wrath towards them. He says the bravest warriors in the Israelite army who are charged with saving others will not even be able to save themselves (2:14-16). He says in 3:12 that any deliverance God performs for Israel will only be like a shepherd taking the piece of sheep’s ear from the mouth of a lion who has already consumed the whole body. Chapter 5 is the funeral of Israel. Amos takes up a “lamentation,” a funeral song, against Israel. Israel has fallen and will “rise” no more. Israel is forsaken by God. This judgment is described as the Day of the Lord (cf. Joel 2), when God will pour out his wrath on his enemies. He tells Israel not to think that she will escape (Amos 5:18). He says that in the day he pours out his wrath on Israel the sun will go down at noon and the feasts will be turned into mourning, mourning for an only son (8:9-10). In chapter 9 he says that Israel cannot escape his wrath and will be killed (9:8). All of Amos is pervaded by judgment and wrath. Then, he all of the sudden switches and says “I will raise up the booth of David that has fallen…” He talks about Israel possessing the nations and great agricultural blessing that will come to Israel (Amos 9:11-15).

Scholars say this is not appropriate. But, this is the Gospel. The judgment that God promises to Israel ultimately falls on Jesus at the cross. He is the true Israel (cf. Matthew 2:15; Hosea 11:1). He is the one who takes on God’s wrath for the sins of Israel and the whole world. As John 11:49-52 says, “And…Caiaphas…said, ‘…it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish (cf. Amos 9:8).’ Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.” Jesus is Israel who suffered the wrath of God. He was the one of whom it was said “he saved others but he cannot save himself” (cf. Amos 2:14-17). He was the one who was forsaken (cf. Amos 5:2). That was the Day of the Lord when the sun blacked out at midday, the feast of Passover was turned into mourning, and the only Son of the Father was cut off (cf. Amos 8:9-10). Then, the Son of David was raised up on the third day (cf. Amos 9:11), giving hope to Israel and the nations (cf. Amos 9:11-15; John 11:52).

Amos begins with the punishment of the nations, and then he describes the death of Israel. Amos ends with the death and resurrection of Israel, then hope for the nations. Judgment is merciless and inescapable because sin is rebellion, but there is hope for restoration after judgment when the fallen booth of David is resurrected (cf. 2 Sam. 7; Ezek. 37). Indeed, Yahweh promises destruction on Israel, but it will not be ultimate (Amos 9:8). Scholars are perplexed at how Amos can consistently preach doom, and then turn within a few verses to hope. One needs only to read the gospels to see the doom of Friday turn into the hope of Sunday. In Acts 15, at the Jerusalem Council, James tells us that Amos 9 is fulfilled (the aspects of edenic restoration promised in Amos 9 await fulfillment) in the inclusion of the Gentiles into the church through the Gospel. How does the inclusion of the Gentiles into the church demonstrate the renewal and resurrection of David’s kingdom? The nations are submitting to a Jewish King. Gentiles in Louisville, Beijing, New Delhi, and all over the world are bowing the knee to David’s Son. That submission means blessing for the nations. Our prayer is that those in darkness all over the world who cannot understand the message of wrath, justice, mercy, and grace contained in the gospel will have their eyes opened to see. I pray that some OT scholars will understand this too.

[This post has not dealt with some of the specific exegetical concerns in Amos, specifically Amos 9. I will soon post an exegetical paper I did on Amos 9 for those who want more details to support the arguments I am making. Also, a sermon on the Gospel and Amos is available at the Baptist 21 podcast.]

From our Purpose Statement: Baptist 21 is grateful for a Southern Baptist heritage where the Gospel has been faithfully passed down and effective Great Commission ministry has been undertaken. Many believe there is a crisis ahead for Baptists, particularly Southern Baptists, in the 21st century. Our commitment is to work diligently in the present by honoring the Gospel faithfulness of the past, contending for the Gospel, engaging current cultures with the Gospel, and cooperating toward future Kingdom effectiveness among Southern Baptists in the 21st century and beyond.

Baptist21 was honored to sit down with Dr. James Merritt. He is one of the most powerful preachers in the Southern Baptist Convention. He weds strong expositional preaching and a zeal for personal evangelism that is seldom matched in SBC life. He is a former president of the SBC and is a denominational statesman.  In addition, he has broken from some of the more traditional modes of many in his generation, while still embracing the truths for which they fight. He addresses some of the main ideas that spurred us toward beginning this blog. This is why it is a great blessing that he allowed me time to ask him some questions. Dr. Merritt is the pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, Ga. He has some wonderful insights for older and younger Southern Baptists. He also is a long time family friend and there are few people in this world I look forward to seeing more than Dr. Merritt. It is my hope that you will listen to these insights as we all seek to understand what the church and the convention should look like moving into the 21st century. (I apologize that my voice is so much louder than his is, just be aware of that.)

Some Questions and Quotes from Dr. Merritt’s Interview:

“I don’t read a lot blogs but this will be one that I will keep up with religiously because I think you guys bring a real wonderful insight into what is going on both from a religious side and cultural side”

• Whom do you read and listen to these days?

“Mark Driscoll, I listen to Andy Stanley… so many fresh voices out there… I love Tim Keller”

• What makes you happy to be a part of the Southern Baptist Convention?

“Our stance on the authority and inspiration of scripture coupled with at least a verbal commitment to the great commission… a true Baptist church is probably as close to the New Testament church as any I know of… any church that truly desires to become a New Testament church, I say this humbly I hope this will not come across the wrong way will probably look like a Baptist church”

• What do we need to focus on to be Baptist in the 21st Century?

“if we are going to take great commission seriously…  common sense will tell you alone we have to focus on reaching  the next generation… and not just say or pay lip service to it but to do it… (Also we ought) not to be so tradition laden… thirdly, a return to expository preaching”

• What is the benefit of being SBC, especially for those that are thinking about leaving?

“We become known sometimes more for what we are against than what we’re for… (but having said that) we are the vanguard of the most conservative  evangelical bible-believing group of believers on this planet, so you know you are going to get good housekeeping seal of approval theologically… we are the denomination that sends more missionaries around the world than any other two or three or four or five denominations in the world… I think the future for us if we make some changes as I said early is brighter than it has ever been, and I will tell you the flip side of that is not only do I believe we can be good for young people… we need young people, we need your fresh thinking, we need your new blood, we need your creativity”

• What are final words for those studying for ministry?

“Preach the word… Major on the majors and minor on the minors… there is a lot of debate going on that is meaningless”

Some of the issues that convinced us to start this blog this interview addresses. Though we think there needs to be some sense of renewal in SBC life and we think Merritt has provided insight into some of those issues, we also believe there is much to celebrate and fight for in SBC life. Merritt has embodied in this interview some of our thoughts toward what we ought to celebrate and what we ought to address in our convention. In the short time we had to talk he is only addressing principles and the surface of what this will look like, but he lays down some helpful insight that will help continue this conversation as we seek to be the most effective gospel-faithful men and hopefully denomination we can be.

Other Podcasts at Baptist21 this Week: Nick Moore continues his sermon series through Matthew. His text this week came from Matthew 20 in a sermon entitled “Kingdom Rewards and The Grace of God”. In addition, we pick back up Jon Akin’s series Heroes of the Faith in a sermon entitled “The Gospel According to Samson”.

If you have questions, you would like ask or people you would like to hear interviewed in the SBC please email us at baptist21@gmail.com

[This post is part two in a two-part series. Part one was posted on Wednesday, October 22^nd at Baptist21. Please check it out before reading on as this post will probably not make much sense to those who haven’t read the first one!].

The great need of our time, as I suggested in part one of this series, is for praying pastors. If many pastors, as I suspect, are falling prey to prayerlessness (or very little praying in comparison with the great pastors and missionaries of previous eras), what will be the negative consequences for 21^st century SBC churches? What will happen to us if we do not rediscover the importance of prayer? Let me suggest just three negative results of prayerlessness, although many more could be elaborated. Along the way, just as in the previous post, I will incorporate insights from E. M. Bounds’ masterpiece, Power Through Prayer. Bounds’ words will help us to avoid these three negative consequences if we would only heed them.

If 21^st century SBC churches do not rediscover the importance of prayer:

I. We will have programs without power.

Listen to the words of E. M. Bounds on this subject, remembering that they were written a hundred years ago!

We are continually striving to create new methods, plans, and organizations to advance the church. We are ever working to provide and stimulate growth and efficiency for the gospel. The trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of the man. Or else he is lost in the workings of the plan or organization…The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. (8)

What the church needs today is not more or better machinery, not new organizations or more or novel methods. She needs men whom the Holy Spirit can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer! (9)

Oftentimes at the staff meetings of our churches, comments will be made like, “If we could just get AWANAs up and running, then we would reach families with young children,” or, “If we just had some more contemporary music, then we could draw in the lost.” Of course, music and ministry programs must be discussed but let us never forget that such things are not our greatest need! The church does not ultimately need “more or novel methods” but “men mighty in prayer”! We can have all the programs in the world, but if we are not a people of prayer we are trusting in man-made devices. Our growth, if any, will be hollow, and our successes, if any, will be short-lived. The church needs ministers who believe more in the Holy Spirit than in the latest children’s program, the latest youth camp, or the next great speaker for the churchwide revival. Programs without prayer are powerless to effect eternal change in the lives of our people. SBC churches in the 21^st century will not bring revival in America or reach the nations for Christ with powerless programming. Only a work of God can accomplish such feats, and we know from Scripture that God moves in response to the prayers of His people!

II. We will have sermons without the Spirit.

Bounds writes that for many preachers, prayer can become a “performance” only done in public.

The pulpit of the day is weak in praying. The pride of learning is in opposition to the dependent humility of prayer. In the pulpit, prayer is all too often only official—a performance for the routine of service (13).

What is needed for Spirit-enabled preaching, Bounds suggests, is prayer conducted in the prayer-closet before the preacher ever stands to preach. Without preaching and sermon-making bathed in prayer, the sermon is actually deadening to the spiritual vitality of those who hear it.

Preaching which kills is prayerless preaching. Without prayer, the preacher creates death and not life. The preacher who is feeble in prayer is feeble in life-giving forces…There is and will be professional praying, but professional praying helps the preaching to do its deadly work. Professional praying chills and kills both preaching and praying (24).

Even sermon-making—incessant and taxing as an art, as a duty, as a work, or as a pleasure—will engross, harden, and estrange the heart from God by neglect of prayer. The scientist loses God in nature. The preacher may lose God in his sermon (29).

Bounds also warns that many things masquerade as effective preaching, but without prayer, even orthodox, earnest sermons will have a deadening effect on their hearers.

There may be tears, but tears cannot run God’s machinery. Tears may be nothing but superficial expression. There may be feelings and earnestness, but it is the emotion of the actor and the earnestness of the attorney. The preacher may be moved by the kindling of his own sparks, be eloquent over his own exegesis, and earnest in delivering the product of his own brain, but the message of his words may be dead and fruitless (18)

The preaching which kills may be, and often is, orthodox, dogmatically, inviolably orthodox…But orthodoxy, clear and hard as a crystal, suspicious and militant, may be nothing but the letter, well-shaped, well-named, and well-learned—the letter which kills. Nothing is so dead as a dead orthodoxy…Letter-preaching may be eloquent, embellished with poetry and rhetoric, sprinkled with prayer, spiced with sensation, illuminated by genius, and yet these may merely be the chaste, costly mountings—the rare and beautiful flowers—which coffin the corpse (22).

Bounds states that what is needed for powerful, life-giving preaching is prayer.

The character of our praying will determine the character of our preaching. Light praying will make light preaching. Prayer makes preaching strong, gives it an anointing, and makes it stick (31).

Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is still greater. He who has not learned well how to talk to God for men will never talk well—with real success—to men for God (31).

The preachers who gain mighty results for God are the men who have prevailed in their pleadings with God before venturing to plead with men. The preachers who are the mightiest in their closets with God are the mightiest in their pulpits with men (36).

In one of the quotations above, Bounds mentions how praying gives to preaching its “anointing.” Later in the volume, in a chapter entitled “Under the Dew of Heaven,” Bounds includes the following quotation from Charles Spurgeon on anointing.

One bright blessing which private prayer brings down upon the ministry is an indescribable and inimitable something—an anointing from the Holy One….If the anointing which we bear comes not from the Lord of hosts, we are deceivers, since only in prayer can we obtain it. Let us continue instant, constant, fervent in supplication. Let your fleece lie on the threshing floor of supplication till it is wet with the dew of heaven (73).

In contemporary SBC life, preachers are incessantly debating about preaching. We ask questions like: “Should we preach with or without notes?”, “Should we preach topically or expositionally?”, “Should we stand behind a pulpit or sit down on a stool?”, “Should we incorporate video?”, “Should we wear a suit or a Hawaiian shirt?”, and “Should we provide an outline with blanks?” Some of these questions are important; some are probably not that important. But more important than all of these questions is this question, “Are you preparing yourself to preach by spending time alone with God in prayer?” Let us remember Bounds’ warning that we cannot speak “to men for God” until we have spoken “to God for men.”

III. We will have pastors without purity.

The statistics on moral failure among SBC pastors is alarming. I have been told often during my days at seminary that most who leave seminary will not finish their working years in ministry. Many of those who leave ministry at some point do so because of impurity or unfaithfulness of some kind. Do we not realize that one of the primary contributing factors to the moral slide among ministers is our neglect of personal prayer? Bounds writes:

Our great lack is not in the head culture, but in heart culture. Not lack of knowledge, but lack of holiness is our sad and telling defect—not that we know too much but that we do not meditate on God and His Word, and watch and fast and pray enough…Can ambition that lusts after praise and position preach the Gospel of Him who made Himself of no reputation and took on the form of a servant (67-8)?

A holy life would not be so rare or so difficult a thing if our devotions were not so short and hurried. A Christian temper, in its sweet and passionless fragrance, would not be so alien and hopeless a heritage if our closet stay were lengthened and intensified. We live shabbily because we pray meagerly (99-100).

“OK,” you say, “we do not want ‘programs without power,’ ‘sermons without the Spirit,’ and ‘pastors without purity.’ What will it take to overcome our tendency towards prayerlessness in order to avoid these negative results?” Let me mention two quick encouragements as a partial answer to this question.

First, we will need to fight against laziness because prayer is hard spiritual work. You probably noticed in part one of this two-part series of posts that many of the great prayer warriors of the past used their morning hours (among other times) for prayer. Bounds writes against wasting the morning hours in sleep:

Morning listlessness indicates a listless heart. The heart which is lax in seeking God in the morning has lost its relish for God…A desire for God which cannot break the chains of sleep is a weak thing and will do little good for God. The desire for God that stays far behind the devil and the world at the beginning of the day will never catch up (52)

Also related to this theme of “laziness,” Bounds writes elsewhere on the cost that is required for earnest prayer.

Spiritual work is taxing work, and men are loath to do it. Praying—true praying—costs an outlay of serious attention and time, which flesh and blood do not relish. Few people are made of such strong fiber that they will make a costly outlay when inferior work will pass just as well in the market…To be little with God is to be little for God (98).

I wish I had more time to write on the above quotation. I think this is one of the primary things that keep us from prayer. It is hard work, and, as Bounds writes, “Inferior work will pass just as well in the market.” Many ministers fail to pray because they believe their people will never know about that area of their lives. “My people will notice,” they think, “whether all the points of my sermon are alliterated and whether the revival meetings go smoothly, but will they know if I fail to pray for them?” What the pastor must bear in mind is that the hard work of prayer is worth it! In fact, none of the remainder of his toil will amount to anything without this expenditure of effort in the prayer closet! What good will a well-crafted sermon or a “smooth” revival service do without the power of the Spirit? The people in the prayerless pastor’s church may never know of his prayerlessness, but they will be the worse spiritually because of his neglect.

Second, (and somewhat obviously), in order to overcome prayerlessness we must reprioritize prayer. We must realize that prayer, more than programs, talent, and personality, is what is most needed in the church today. Bounds’ comments on this subject will serve as a fitting conclusion to this discussion.

We do not need men who arouse sensational stirs by novel devices, nor those who attract by a pleasing entertainment. But, we need men who can stir things, work revolutions by the preaching of God’s Word, and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, cause revolutions which change the whole current of events. Natural ability and educational advantages do not figure in this matter. But, capacity for faith, the ability to pray, the power of thorough consecration, and ability of self-littleness are all important factors (103).

Prayer is out of date—almost a lost art. The greatest benefactor this age could have is the man who will bring the preachers and the Church back to prayer (101-2).

–Scott S. Wilson

A free online version of E. M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer, is available here.