Once upon a time, a teenage daughter complained to her father about how difficult life was. She said: “As soon as I solve one problem, another takes its place. I’m tired of struggling.”

Her father, who was a chef, took her to the kitchen, filled 3 pots with water and placed them on the stove. When the pots came to a boil, in one, he put sliced carrots, in another, an egg, and in the last, cocoa mix. After awhile, he turned off the burners and poured the contents of the 3 pots into 3 bowls.

Finally, he turned to his (impatient) daughter and asked, “Tell me what you see.” She rolled her eyes and said, “Obviously, I see carrots, an egg, and hot chocolate.”

He then asked her to touch the carrots – they were soft & mushy. Next, he asked her to crack the egg – it was hard inside. Last, he asked her to taste the hot chocolate – it was delicious.

“What’s the point, Dad?”

He explained that each item faced the same adversity (boiling water), but reacted differently. The carrots fell apart; the egg became hard inside; while the cocoa MIXED WITH THE WATER AND BECAME SOMETHING REALLY GOOD!

With that, he reminded his daughter that Jesus said we would have many troubles in this life. We have no choice about that. What we can choose is how we react. We can be like carrots and fall apart; we can be like an egg and become hard-hearted; or, we can be like cocoa mix and make the best of it.

How do you respond to adversity? How are you responding to adversity right now?

When dealing with adversity, God promises to be with us, and to use the situation for our good (Romans 8:28). That’s a powerful promise.

Pastor Dan

My first call this morning was from a gentleman who recently arrived in Harlan and is wondering what kind of church we are. He wanted to be sure to avoid one of those “liberal” Baptist churches.

Inquires like this is one of the reasons the at-large deacons are reviewing our Statement of Faith (entitled “What We Believe,” last reviewed in 1999).

A Statement of Faith is typically a 1-2 page document that spells out the core beliefs that unite the church. (For this reason, perhaps a better term is Statement of Core Beliefs.)

There are several reasons for having a Statement of Core Beliefs:

First and foremost, every local church is charged with “guarding the good deposit that was entrusted to us” (II Timothy 1:14). By “good deposit,” Paul means the essential or core doctrines of the Christian faith that must be protected and passed down to succeeding generations.

Second, a Statement of Core Beliefs is a means of distinguishing between core and non-core doctrines. Some doctrines, such as the divinity of Christ, are essential to Christianity and are worth dying for. There are other doctrines about which we can respectfully disagree. An example of a non-core doctrine is the belief that Christ will rapture the Church prior to a period of tribulation.

Third, affirmation of the Core Beliefs can be a qualification for spiritual leadership in the church, including that of pastor, teacher, small group leader or deacon.

Fourth, the Statement of Core Beliefs can be used as a teaching tool in the various ministries of the church, especially in our ministry to children & youth.

Fifth, the Statement of Core Beliefs can help guide members in choosing another church if/when they leave the area.

Sixth, in similar manner, the Statement of Core Beliefs is important information for those who might consider joining our fellowship.

Please pray for the at-large deacons as they work on this project.

Pastor Dan

My article is a day late because I went to Kansas Monday and didn’t get home until Tuesday afternoon.

I went to see a fellow pastor who’d been a good friend of mine while we lived in Wichita. Last December, this friend suffered an emotional breakdown and only recently returned to full-time status at his church.

He explained that one of the factors in his breakdown was the lack of close friends to talk with.

For several years, the two of us met at least once a month for breakfast to discuss life & ministry. We also met quarterly, usually for an entire day, with three other pastors. However, around the time I moved to Harlan, two of the other pastors also moved to other churches, while the third got into another line of work. This left my friend all alone.

According to a study by Duke University, loneliness in America is rampant.

The researchers found that over the past two decades, Americans’ circle of close confidants has shrunk dramatically. In addition, the number of people who say they have no one with whom to discuss important matters has more than doubled, to nearly 25%.

Researchers were surprised by the large change. Typically, you wouldn’t expect such dramatic change in such a relative short period of time.

What’s going on?

The researchers suggest four things:

• People move more often, usually for job reasons.
• People are busier and have less time to foster close relationships.
• The Internet tends to encourage superficial relationships.
• Participation in civic and religious groups is down.

Question: Who do you talk to? Do you have somebody you can (and do) confide in, or do you keep everything bottled up?

One of our strategic goals at First Baptist is to substantially increase the number of small groups in the church. A small group is defined a group of 8-12 persons (4-6 couples) who meet regularly for Bible study, prayer, fellowship and serving. One reason for this is to create an environment for deeper friendships among brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Bible encourages friendship. Probably the best known is Ecclesiastes 4:9-10: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”

Pastor Dan

Today, our thoughts are with the people of Boston and the bombings that took place there yesterday. It is a day of sorrow & mourning.

How should I try to comfort you in the aftermath of this tragedy?

Should I try to comfort you politically, by saying that America is a strong and resilient nation?

Should I try to comfort you militarily, by saying that our military might is unsurpassed and our enemies will be defeated?

Should I try to comfort you financially, by saying that we are wealthy and can purchase additional security for ourselves?

Should I try to comfort you geographically, by saying that we live in the Midwest and unlikely to be a target of such attacks?

Should I try to comfort you psychologically, by saying there are things we can do to help us cope with disasters of this kind?

Should I try to comfort you eschatologically, by saying we won’t be around when things get really bad?

The fact is, as the people of God, we don’t put our hope in any of these things. Rather, our hope is this: Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39).

John Piper said the following on the Sunday following the 9/11 attacks:

Your steady, solid hope this morning – and it is the only lasting hope – is that if you will trust Christ as your precious Savior and your supremely-valued King, then you will be folded into the love of God in a way that no terrorist, no torture, no demons, no disasters, no disease, no man, no microbe, no government, and no grave can destroy. That’s the hope of the Christian life. It is not a political hope, a military hope, a financial hope, a geographical hope, a psychological hope, or an escapist hope. It is a blood-bought, Spirit-wrought, Christ-exalting, God-centered, fear-destroying, death-defeating hope.

Pastor Dan

After the service on Sunday, several were interested in knowing what sparked the conflict at First Baptist, Wichita KS . . . that eventually resulted in the church going from 4,300 active members (in the mid-1950’s) to only 100 (by 1961).

It’s an interesting story, and one that I think is very instructive for us as we focus this month on peacemaking.

Background

One of the things Christianity had been struggling with throughout the 19^th & 20^th centuries was theological liberalism. Most of the debate was centered on a changing view of the Bible. For example, liberals didn’t believe that the miracles in the Bible actually happened, including the Virgin Birth and Resurrection.

Various denominations were perceived as “buying into” this theological liberalism, including the American Baptists Churches USA (ABC/USA). First Baptist Wichita belonged to the ABC and was its most prominent member.

The concern over the ABC seemed to be validated when the denomination officially joined the National Council of Churches (NCC), an ecumenical umbrella group that formed in 1950.

The NCC was perceived as an extremely liberal organization, both theologically and politically. There was evidence of Communist influence. In addition, the NCC took positions against Israel.

First Baptist Wichita

In response, First Baptist Wichita formed a 10-person committee to study the church’s relationship with the denomination. In March, 1960, the committee recommended that the church cease all financial support of the ABC/NCC. The vote was 1,170 to 235. Then, in July, 1960, the church voted to leave the denomination altogether. This vote was 739 to 294.

The minority refused to accept the will of the majority and began conducting a separate worship service in the church’s chapel. The majority believed that the church should worship together and had the doors to the chapel padlocked. The minority responded by worshipping off-site. The minority also filed a lawsuit, claiming that the church building belonged to them (the pro-ABC group).

The District Court sided with the majority, but their decision was appealed to the state Supreme Court, who reversed the decision and “awarded” the building to the minority. At this, the majority left and formed a separate church, located a couple of miles away.

In Hindsight

Both sides believed they were acting on principle and the differences did appear irreconcilable. The majority felt they were taking a stand for the Bible, while the minority thought the concern about liberalism was overblown. In addition, the minority was motivated by a sense of loyalty to the denomination and wanted to continue supporting all the good things that the denomination was doing.

In hindsight, both sides violated (ignored) some key biblical commands & principles with respect to peacemaking. Had they not done so, I believe the conflict could have been worked out. We will study these commands & principles in the weeks ahead.

Pastor Dan

You’ll recall from last week’s article that the canon (or question of canonicity) has to do with which books are truly inspired by God and thus rightfully included in the Bible.

The 39 books of the Old Testament have been part of the canon at least since the time of Christ. The 27 books of the New Testament were officially canonized in the late 2^nd/early 3^rd century.

Keep in mind that the Church doesn’t DECLARE a writing to be inspired (a writing either is or isn’t); rather, we RECOGNIZE a writing as such.

The Roman Catholic Apocryphal Books

The Roman Catholic Church considers 12 additional books to be part of the Old Testament canon. These additional books are generally referred to as the “Apocrypha,” a word that means hidden or concealed.

As Protestants, we do not include the Apocrypha in the Old Testament canon for the following reasons:

1.      The apocryphal books were never received by the Jews as God-given Scripture.

2.      These books were never accepted as canonical by Jesus or his apostles.

3.      Great portions of the books are obviously legendary and fictitious. In addition, there are numerous historical, chronological and geographical errors.

4.      Opposition to the apocrypha was strong even within the Roman Catholic Church. Eventually, this opposition was silenced by the hierarchy, which decreed (at the same time) that the “holy Mother Church” alone maintained the right to give the true interpretation of Scripture.

Other Writings

There are other apocryphal writings, many of which are known as the New Testament Apocrypha. They are not considered part of the canon for 3 reasons:

1.      They were written much later (after the apostles had died);

2.      They were written under assumed names; and

3.      Some of the content is quite bizarre. For example, in one of the books, as a boy, Jesus supposedly struck another boy dead for having bumped into him.

Generally speaking, a book had to pass 3 tests to be included in the New Testament canon. First, the book had to have been written by an apostle or sanctioned by an apostle. Second, the book’s teachings had to be consistent with the Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles. Third, the document had to have widespread and continuous acceptance by the Church to be included.

Theoretically, the Church could have erred in formulating the canon, but after 2,000 years, there’s no credible evidence that it did. Bottom line: we can be confident that the 66 books included in the Holy Bible together constitute the Word of God.

Pastor Dan

Last week during BYF, a 4^th grader had a question for me:  “Pastor Dan, how was it decided which books would be included in the Bible?”

Frankly, I struggled to answer because (a) it’s a question that doesn’t lend itself to a quick answer and (b) I needed to use language and concepts that a 4^th grader would understand.

The bigger issue is that, as people of the Book, we should know how we got the Bible. This is especially true now that the Bible is no longer as respected (or consulted) in our culture.

Which books rightfully belong in the Bible is known as the question of “canonicity.” The English word canon goes back to the Greek word kanon and then to the Hebrew word qaneh. The word literally means “standard” or “rule.” It was also used to refer to a list or index, and when applied to the Bible, denotes the list of books which are received (recognized) as Holy Scripture.

The Old Testament

Both Protestants and Catholics accept the Jewish Scriptures as being inspired (“God-breathed”) and thus authoritative. We know from history that, by the time of Jesus, the canon of the Old Covenant was fixed. Jesus quoted from the Jewish Scriptures often and it’s clear he regarded them as sacred writings. The 1^st century historian Josephus did us the favor of actually enumerating the books contained in the Jewish Scriptures.

The New Testament

As to the New Testament books, not long after they were written, they were being read regularly in the church assemblies. The words of Jesus and his apostles were regarded as no less authoritative than the Old Testament. In this way, the NT canon gradually took shape. By the close of the second century, its essentials had been largely determined, and by the next century, the NT books as they are known today constituted the supreme authority for the church.

Next week: Why certain other writings were NOT accepted into the canon?

Pastor Dan

Our son Kyle is on leave from the Air Force and we’re excited to have him at home for a few days. On Saturday, we’re going to St. Paul, so he can see my side of the family before he heads back to his base in Cheyenne.

While we’re proud of Kyle for his military service, I actually want to write to you about a man named Tim Martz, who has been a big influence in Kyle’s life.

You see, as an inner city church in Wichita, we didn’t have a big youth group. So, what we did was divide the few kids we had into small groups of 4-6 high school students, plus a leader.

Tim Martz led the group that Kyle was in, along with 3 other boys. He had them over to his house every Sunday night throughout their high school years. His wife Cathy cooked a simple meal and then they usually played a game or did something crazy. After that, it was Bible study and prayer time.

Again, this was EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT for 3-plus years. Even to this day, Tim stays in contact with Kyle and prays for him nearly every day. He even made a trip to Cheyenne last year to see how he was doing.

What a quiet, but powerful ministry!

What made this ministry so powerful? One word: RELATIONSHIP. First, was Tim’s own relationship with Christ. It was (and is) profoundly deep.  Second, was his relationship with Kyle. The months of consistent time together created quite a bond between them.

I will always be grateful to Tim. He’s also been an example for me on how discipleship is supposed to happen in the church.

Two questions: (1) Who’s been YOUR “Tim Martz”? Whoever it’s been, be sure to thank God for him/her. (2) Who are you being “Tim Martz” to? In other words, who are you investing YOUR life in? It doesn’t necessarily have to be a high school kid. Maybe it’s a neighbor, a colleague, a relative.

If it’s no one at the present time, ask God to bring someone to mind that you might start investing in. That is a prayer He will be sure to answer.

With appreciation,

Pastor Dan 

This week, I am concluding our series on the “currents” running through our culture that, in the span of just 50 years, have turned Christianity into an increasingly minority religion in the United States.

Here are the remaining currents in the categories of media/technology and mission:

Supersaturation

The media saturates our lives. The average person under the age of 30 now spends virtually every waking minute using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device. The power of the media to shape our thinking has never been greater.

Homo Interneticus

The supersaturation of media has turned us into shallow thinkers. We are also more isolated relationally, and increasingly narcissistic (self-absorbed).

New News

Increasingly, media outlets aren’t just biased, but have a specific agenda.

Celebrification

We live in the “Age of Celebrity,” and increasingly turn to celebrities for our information on complex subjects. Those with actual knowledge about complex subjects are relegated to the margins.

Clash of Civilizations

The single greatest threat & challenge to Christianity in the coming years is Islam. The remaining unreached people-groups of the world are largely Muslim and very resistant to the gospel. The Church will require a mighty work of God in order to fulfill the Great Commission.

Whatever Happened to Evangelism?

Just when fulfillment of the Great Commission is becoming the hardest (see above), more-and-more Christians (at least in the West) are becoming increasingly apathetic about evangelism. Much of this is due to rising beliefs in pluralism (all religions lead to God) and/or universalism (everyone will be saved).

I want to conclude the series the same way it began: by quoting I Chronicles 12:32.

“From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders, . . . All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.”

May we be like the men of Issachar . . . understanding the times and knowing what must be done.

With appreciation,

Pastor Dan

I’ve been sharing with you the 25 “currents” running through our culture. These currents have a profound effect on Christianity and our own walk with Christ. Number’s 11-15 fall into the category of marriage & family.

Current #11: Just Not into Marriage

The state of marriage is crumbling. In 1960, 72% of adults were married; today, only 52% are married.  Cohabitation is skyrocketing.

Current #12: Pornification

Porn is now mainstream. The porn industry currently makes more money than Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, Apple and Netflix combined.

Current #13: Modern Family

No other change in public opinion has been as swift as the acceptance of homosexuality. The shift has been breathtaking, and has taken place in less than a generation.

Current #14: Regarding Gender

Society is becoming genderless – i.e., is increasingly spurning the inherent differences between men & women, boy & girls.

Current #15:  The Disappearance of Childhood

A new and startling cultural trend is the tendency of children to grow older younger. A leading sociologist says: “Children are being robbed of their innocence, their naiveté, their ability to even be a child.”

Pastor Dan