Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Election 2008

As the political races continue to heat up and the primaries are nearing completion, prepare yourself to hear nothing but political rhetoric and news all summer long. I am no political analyst, but from my own humble yet accurate observations I have come to this conclusion: political ads lie. They are an intricate mixture, of truth, lies, mud, and are better known for what they do not say than what they say. All this to say, if you trust the paid political ads of the candidates as your source of information, you will be sadly mislead.

Voting is one of the defining characteristics of a democratic form of government. As believers, we have a moral mandate to exercise our vote. A primary way we exert the 'salt and light' influence (Matt. 5:13-16) Jesus spoke about is through our vote. But not just any vote. A Christian 'salt and light' vote is a vote for biblical values and morality. If we take to heart Jesus' admonition in Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these other things shall be added to you", our vote will not be based soley on the economy, the war, or any other single issue. It will be a representation of our combined effort to promote Christ's Kingdom values and ideals.

For these reasons we need to become informed about the candidates, their voting records, and their stance on the issues. The following links are good places for believers to get timely, factual, and relevant information to aid us in voting values in 2008.

The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

I Vote Values web site

I Vote Values MySpace

I Vote Values YouYube Group

CitizenLink - Public Policy arm of Focus on the Family

Legislative Action Arm of the Family Research Council

11-Page Election 2008 Voter's Guide
Posted by Mike Stover at 12:43:41 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Friday, May 23, 2008

Sensible Action Regarding Global Warming

For many Christians, the issue of global warming is one that brings confusion and misunderstanding, and therefore, every action connected with it is suspect. Respected figures on both sides blare warnings and spout information that does more to promote misunderstanding and apathy than real action. I am no scientist or researcher, and therefore cannot speak intelligently to the science of the issue. But I do follow the news and such, and read as much as possible so as to know what actions Christians should take.

I encourage you to view the video below and visit the We Get It web site. It provides information to educate you about the issue and, more importantly, gives you a course of action based on solid information.

alt : http://www.youtube.com/v/DDGoAn71ZPA&hl=en
Posted by Mike Stover at 10:37:12 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Bible Studies for Life Sunday School Commentary - Week of May 25, 2008

Be Ready to Forgive  Ephesians 4:22-32; Philemon 8-10,15-18

Singer and songwriter Don Henley’s song referred to on page 108 of the learner guide “The Heart of the Matter” (go here to watch and listen on You Tube) is a truly insightful song. In the words of the author, “for a rock song, it gives some rock solid advice.”
Why should I care about forgiving? Because when it comes to quality relationships, (to echo the Don Henley song) ‘it’s about forgiveness…’ We have all heard the term “forgive and forget”. The sad fact is that is impossible. Our minds cannot forget data once it is recorded. Rather, when we choose to forgive and not recall the pain, we lighten the baggage and travel through life with infinitely more joy.

Posted by Mike Stover at 17:01:54 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Evangelism & Follow-Up Training for VBS

Each year, Vacation Bible School is the largest evangelistic event for most churches. In fact, about 25-30% of baptisms in Southern Baptist churches are a result of VBS. In addition to key prospect information about participants in VBS, additional information is discovered about their families. So why not use this information to aid the Sunday School in reaching families and ministering to them long-term?

The following documents can be used to train VBS workers in sharing the gospel with children and conducting follow-up visits, to assist your church in training workers to get the most out of the VBS ministry event. Use them and lets get to work!

EVANGELISM TRAINING FOR VBS WORKERS_08online.doc

SAMPLE FOLLOW UP VISIT.doc

Posted by Mike Stover at 15:58:46 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Bible Studies for Life Sunday School Commentary - Week of May 18, 2008

Be Trustworthy  1 Samuel 17:1-20:42

The account of Kansai International Airport on page 101 of the learner guide is a marvelous example of how man often miscalculates even when giving our best effort. In a lesson dealing with building strong relationships based on trust, we would do well to learn the basics of ‘laying a solid foundation’ of trust.
Trust grows as a by-product of a relationship cultivated by commitment, loyalty, honesty, and consistency. Jonathan's friendship with David is the study in this session. They trusted each other, and these stepping-stones they used to build the bridge of trust that connected them for a lifetime can become ours to follow.
Posted by Mike Stover at 18:37:43 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Rainer on 'Pastoral Malpractice'

What is 'Pastoral Malpractice'? According to Dr. Thom Rainer, President and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, SBC, pastoral malpractice is "preaching a gospel other than God's rightful need for punitive justice against our sin and His wrath being appeased by pouring our upon Christ judgment intended for us". Read the full article in Facts & Trends online. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 speaks eloquently and pointedly to this modern-day malady:

"But know this: difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of religion but denying its power. Avoid these people!" 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (HCSB)

I agree with Dr. Rainer's statement that "the transformation of the church lies within the pages of the Bible". We must dig into the scriptures and allow God's Spirit to bring real, lasting, God-wrought transformation to us, and then in turn to our flock as we expound and explain the unsearchable riches of Christ. Only then will our churches become "training and equipping centers that send people out into culture to be Jesus' ambassadors" (Rainer).

Are modern churches too focused on "self-help" preaching that avoids the costs of sin and a call to repentance? I cannot speak personally with accuracy to that charge; but legions of others have, including Dr. Rainer in this article. Is it a danger we must combat against? Scripture clearly teaches us so. As ministers of Christ's gospel, let us examine our methods and preaching with an eye on Christ and His Word. "Preach the Word..." (and not the latest fad) is still to be our driving maxim.
Posted by Mike Stover at 17:11:02 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Ah, the Joy of Fishing!

alt : http://www.youtube.com/v/SrA_kGB007U&hl=en
Posted by Mike Stover at 11:38:19 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Bible Studies for Life Sunday School Commentary - Week of May 11, 2008

Communicate  Deut. 6:4-9; 2 Sam. 14:23-24,28-33; Prov. 4:3-6

Ah, communication! The oil that lubes relationships with sustaining viscosity. With all the new technologies enabling instant and constant communication, we should be the most well-informed and connected society in history. But, alas, we are not. In the survey cited in our learner guide material for this week, a Lifeway study indicates that lack of communication rates in the top ten issues affecting families today (at number 7, ahead of media influences and materialism; read the article here). Why is communication critical for healthy relationships? How can we improve our communication skills?

Posted by Mike Stover at 11:52:04 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Monday, May 05, 2008

Evangelism must begin beyond the sanctuary - New Study

A new study from Lifeway Research confirms what evangelistic pastors and churches have known all along - evangelism must begin beyond the sanctuary. Imagine that! In a culture that is unchurched and uncaring, and flatly denies absolute truth (verified in this study) we must get out of the church walls and take the gospel to the streets. There are some who think this archaic methodology belongs to the era of the Apostle Paul. And it does! It surely worked for him. And it will work for us as well.







Here is an excerpt from the study:

Stetzer continued, "For several decades we have focused on come and see, invest and invite, bring your friends to church by attracting them with a great program. We call that attractional ministry. Now we are facing the reality that fewer unchurched people are willing to visit a Christian church.

"This will compel us to embrace a go and tell – or incarnational – approach," he said. "Should we invite our friends to church? Sure. But should we be, do, and tell the Gospel to people in culture? You bet. It is not only biblical, but it is even more essential today as our culture grows increasingly resistant to the church."

Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research, said many churches use visitation effectively, "but all churches must learn to equip individuals to reach those who have never had contact with the church."

Perhaps this is the most telling factor of all:

The situation is compounded by the fact that more than half the 1,402 respondents in a 2007 study of unchurched adults said they never wonder whether they would go to heaven if they died, McConnell said.

"Our evangelistic efforts must acknowledge that we no longer live in a culture in which people are simply putting off coming to the church to find truth," McConnell explained. "Many people today either don’t believe truth exists or that the church is the place to find it."

Here is a great place to extoll the virtues of Vacation Bible School. VBS is the most evangelistic outreach event most churches conduct over the course of each year. Roughly one third of all baptisms in the SBC can be traced back to VBS. Evangelism training to prepare VBS workers to share the gospel, and effective follow-up after VBS to connect unchurched prospects with the Sunday School WORKS to bring people to Christ and His church. For more information about VBS go here: Outrigger Island - Living God's Unshakeable Truth.

For the entire study and links to associated media go here: Evangelism Must Go Beyond the Sanctuary
Posted by Mike Stover at 08:11:05 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |