Deer Hunting PSA

PSA - It is Sept 23, just a few days before the beginning of deer season, so as a help to all who know me, here are a few things to expect. 

1.  If I seem a bit distracted, I am. You may have to repeat yourself. I apologize and thank you in advance. 

2.  If you happen to ride in my truck, expect it to smell a bit of a mixture of deer pee, fresh earth cover scent, coffee (ok, that one is year round), and any other food item I may have eaten on the way to the woods. 

3.  Also, if you happen to ride in my truck, please excuse the "muddy" boots, the variety of hanging camo articles, potential weaponry required, numerous backpack/belt packs as I may find necessary, calls, and other implements as the season will dictate.

4.  If I smell a bit of a mixture of deer pee, fresh earth cover scent, coffee (ok, that one is year round too), and any other food item I may have eaten on the way to the woods; yes, I did shower. But come on, it's pee. That smell tends to linger. 

5.  I appreciate your patience. On behalf of all of us who lay awake at night waiting for these days and dream of them when we finally drift off to sleep only to be jarred awake mere moments later to get 20 ft up a tree before the sun comes up; we thank you. Thank you for tolerating our odd smells.  Thank you for feigning interest when we show you the latest trail cam pics on our phones. Thank you for reserving judgement when pictures of our kids or family reunions had to be deleted so as to have said pics. 

6.  Be patient. January will roll around and all will be back to normal soon enough. Then we get to wait 9 months and do it all over again. 

Why would a Calvinist care about missions?

Recently, David Platt was selected to be the next president of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.  For the last several years David has been used by God as the Sr. Pastor of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama.  In his time there God has afforded him the platform to become a person of increased influence for the kingdom and a voice to make the name of Christ and the gospel known in all nations.  Like many, I celebrated the news of David's new position of service and have been praying for him and his family as they prepare for the next season of life and ministry.  However, among the massive swell of support I have read through a variety of sources, there have been a few voices of concern.

All of the comments have followed the same basic pattern.  They have all lauded David as a man of great love of Christ, a love for the Word of God, a passion for the nations, and a heart for the local and universal church. They have recognized his love for his wife and children, and marked him as a man of great character. These things have all been said to set up the inevitable "but there is one thing I'm concerned about" portion of the article/blog post, etc. The critiques have come in forms similar to this, "Dr. Platt is at the forefront of the Calvinist movement in the SBC."  "David is often associated with the modern current of Calvinism that is tearing our denomination apart."  But then there was the question that sparked this blog post, "Why would a Calvinist care about missions?  If it's all predetermined, why would he care about sending missionaries around the world?"

My response to this question was three-fold. (Actually four if you count the head shaking.).  Initially I thought This person has never met or heard David Platt.  There is no questioning David's heart for the nations and his serious commitment to and investment in seeing Jesus named in all the world.  It is the blank-check approach to discipleship that we are called to as Christ followers.

Secondly I thought This person doesn't understand the current situation of the Southern Baptist Convention . The numbers aren't good. I am not at all hopeless as a Southern Baptist.  I don't believe the greatest and most effective days of the SBC are behind us. I believe that God is at work and has a great plan for kingdom work for the churches that partner together to make up the SBC (please rightly understand the nature and form of the Southern Baptist Convention). But I do know that our current reports aren't encouraging. Evangelism and baptism numbers are decreasing. I am convinced that the reasons for this have NOTHING to do with doctrinal stance in the Calvinism/Arminian debate. I believe many are filled with apathy for the nations and their neighbors that is rooted in a lethargic approach to God's Word.  This leads to my third response.

Thirdly, I thought This person doesn't understand the foundation of evangelism. Why would a Calvinist care about missions?  Really?  Easy question, Because they care about the Great Commission and they take the Bible seriously.  The speculation is that a Calvinist would not care about missions because of their misguided idea that If God has already decided who is going to be saved then it doesn't matter if we go or not.  It does matter if we go, because Jesus said go. It is rooted in the call of (if I can use the word) Radical discipleship. Jesus commands us to go. He gave us the Commission to carry the good news of the gospel into all the world and to baptize and teach. A Calvinist, like any other disciple of Jesus,  would care about missions because he takes the commission of Christ seriously, not simply as an optional aspect of life. A Calvinist would care about missions because God cares about missions. God has a heart for the nations and as a disciple, our heart should look like His.

So we find ourselves here. What do you do with the call of Christ?  Calvinist or Arminian, the commission is the same. Go into all the world and preach the gospel. Proclaim boldly the good news that Jesus has died in our place to pay the penalty for our sin and there is hope and life only in Him. Call people to repentance and faith in Jesus. Make disciples and teach them. Until He comes.

People often ask me Are you a Calvinist? or Are you Reformed?  My reply is always the same. There are two reasons I'd rather not be associated with the name of any man. Reason number one is that based on my reply you will assume that you know things about me that may or may not be true based upon your presuppositions about that answer. Secondly, why would I subject myself to be marked by the name of a man when I've been marked by the redemption of Jesus?  I am a disciple of Jesus. My loyalty is to Him and to His word. I am a follower of Jesus and I strive to be a Biblicist. By using the term Biblicist I mean that it is my desire and intent to live by the truth of God's word in the Bible. (Now, if you have questions about my stance on a particular topic or issue, I'll be happy to talk about that.)

So, why would a Calvinist care about missions?  Easy.  Because Jesus does.

The Osteen Video

Really pondering more about the current Osteen's video that is making the rounds on social media. - Some are being as gracious as possible, some not. - I don't know the Osteens. We've never met. I've never been to their home, never sat in his office, never had a cup of coffee with him. We've never had a conversation. I say that to say that I have no platform on which to speak of motive that they may or may not work from. - But I do say this. They are intentionally deceiving thousands of people OR they have been deceived and are deceiving thousands of people without realizing it. Either way, I don't see truth in what they teach. (Now before supporters bring me instances of things that he may have said that were true, please don't. I'm not saying that he has never said anything that is true; however, the doctrinal and theological platform that he espouses is false.) - I'm not one to often use labels on people, but what she proclaimed in that video is false. It props up the idol of self. There is NO Biblical backing for what she said. If you are a fan of theirs, I would exhort you in the name of Christ; examine what they say compared to the Bible. Be a student of the Word. Be able to, with sensitivity from the Holy Spirit and guided by the truth of the Bible, identify error and falsehood and cling tightly to the truth. - He may be a great motivational speaker and that is fine; but a preacher and teacher of the scripture, he doesn't appear to be.

 When people have asked me "What do I think of Joel Osteen?" I tell them I don't know him. He seems like a really nice guy, but like I said, I've never met him. Then the inevitable eye-roll comes and they ask me what I think of his teaching/writing. I've never read one of his books. (I don't need to know how to feel better about myself. I struggle enough with pride.) I'd rather spend that time looking at what the Bible tells me God says about me. As a preacher, I've got about this (...) much time to listen to preachers on tv and Osteen NEVER TEACHES ME ANYTHING except how to have a positive metal attitude and about how something new and better is coming my way.

Tell that to my brothers and sisters in Christ who will die tomorrow for their faith. Yes, eternity is coming their way, but I don't think that is what Joel is talking about.

Tell that to my brothers and sisters in Christ who share our faith but not our freedom and who will hide tomorrow instead of worship in a stadium.

Tell that to my deceived and spiritually immature brothers and sisters who are rolling in it and assume that God is blessing them and the sketchy way they do business b/c of the financial results. 

Tell that to millions of believers in the world who pray not that they will avoid persecution but rather that their backs will be strong in withstanding it.

 So I guess, no. I don't like his teaching. And if he isn't a false teacher in our day, I'd say he's as close as we've got.