Together for the Gospel 08

Conferences can be good or bad. State the obvious, why don’t I? At any rate, I’ve been to a few that weren’t edifying for a whole host of reasons. But I’ve been to many that have been rich beyond measure. This past week the Together for The Gospel conference was rich beyond measure. Everything from the preaching to the singing to the fellowship made for a very spiritually enriching time. And to make it even better I was able to enjoy it all with my wife Sherry and my two dear friends Dave and Cheryl. What more could a brother ask for?

But you know, God has a way of going above and beyond all we can think of and or ask, right? And this conference was no exception. You see, I expected to enjoy the preaching. How could I not with the likes of MacArthur, Sproul, Piper, and the other gifted men. I expected to be blessed by the singing. How could I not as I joined my voice with 5,500 other passionate pastors and church leaders singing God’s praise. And of course I expected to enjoy time with my wife away from the privileged demands of ministry and parenthood. How could I not – she’s the greatest wife on the planet. And I haven’t even mentioned the free books! O’ yes, many, many free books. But with all that God still went beyond my expectations.

In His kind providences, I ran in to several of my friends from my seminary days at TMS. It was special to see these guys again, but to my joyful benefit each of my old friends ministered to my wife and me in ways that I can hardly express. It was as if God Himself deliberately appointed a meeting with these men who each had a timely word for us. What do I mean “as if”; of course it was God’s doing! He spoke to us through them. He spoke to us about ministry, marriage, parenting, and the need to stay the course. And all I was left with was to ask myself and God the question, “Who am I that I should have friends such as Justin Erickson, David Fry, Art Georges, Ray Mehringer, and John Richards?” These men served, cared for, and encouraged my soul far beyond what I expected and even further beyond what I deserve.

Yea, some conferences are really good. The T4G 08 will go down as probably the best ever. Thank you brothers for being my friend. Thank you brothers for being Together for the Gospel!

Secret Sex Wars

It is my humble honor to introduce the forthcoming book entitled, "Secret Sex Wars: A Battle Cry for Purity" edited by Robert S. Scott, Sr. This book is a labor of love written by a number of African American pastors, including yours truly, aimed at equipping African American Christian men for the waging battle for sexual purity.

I think we would all agree that there is a fierce battle in our culture today. The forces of libertine liberationists who are seeking to dominate culture with immorality and sexual decadence are on the attack against those of us who are committed to the high standard of God's truth and righteousness. The contributors of this book exposit God's word with care and precision yielding practical instructions and principles which will arm Christian brothers with the weapons needed to walk in and enjoy the victory that is ours in Jesus Christ.

Every Christian brother needs to get a copy of this book for himself and for a friend. The release date is May 1st, but you can pre-order a copy now at http://www.secretsexwars.com/. Order your copy now, and pray that the Lord will give this book a wide readership for His honor and glory.

A Hard Pill to Swallow (Titus 2:9-10)

There are rare occasions when I study the Bible and I find myself wanting the text to say something different than what it clearly says. This past week was one of those occasions. I was studying Titus 2:9-10 – a text that I’ve looked at before and it said what it’s always said, “Urge slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything . . .” Now, I’m not quite sure why this time was so different, but the reality of Paul’s command for slaves to willingly submit themselves to their masters landed on me with great force; actually with great sadness. I suppose I was sad because I spent some time thinking about the evil brutality of slavery throughout history, especially American history which is close to home for me. And as I did that, Paul’s words just didn’t seem right—that is until I reminded myself of God’s Modus Operandi in Redemptive history.

You see, my unmortified inclination was to hold God to my standard of thinking, which honestly would have dictated the abolition of slavery by Divine decree. Meaning, Christians could have rebelled and fought to achieve their goal, and certainly that’s what it would have taken in order for me to have gotten my way. But I’m a fool, and God is wise. He is in the business of transforming hearts first, which in turn may or may not transform societies. So, in His infinite wisdom, He chose to deal with slavery contrary to human wisdom by calling on Christian slaves to adorn themselves with the gospel of Christ by humbly submitting to their masters, even if they were perverted (cf. 1 Pet. 2:18-20). And that’s the key! God puts His glorious transforming grace on display in and through the lives of His people, and most amazingly through those who find themselves in the midst of horrible circumstances; in this case, slavery.

Yea, I know it leaves many questions unanswered. But when has God ever obligated Himself to answer all of our questions? We do know this though; He is good and He is wise. And if history teaches us anything, it certainly instructs us that the great evils of our times including slavery have in fact been confronted by those who have been transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ. And I have a sneaky suspicion, that when I get to heaven, I’m going to meet a whole lot of redeemed slave masters who came to saving faith in Christ through the inexplicable testimony of a humble slave who didn’t rebel, but through submission adorned the doctrine of God our Savior to the praise of His grace.