Winter is over, now this!

Winter was pretty mild this year, but it seems every year there is a Sunday or two that I know most churches in our area are going to cancel services.  I understand on those days that our already small crowd is going to be even smaller.  Yet, every year, I find myself out there shoveling snow, salting the sidewalks, and assisting people across the street in order to (hopefully) get them inside the church building and to their seat safely.

If you trust the weathermen, you would think that every time it snows we are just about guaranteed an accident if we choose to leave the house… and so many don’t.  Some are worked up by the sensationalism of the media, some just want an excuse to stay home and binge watch Netflix, and some honestly are just concerned for their safety.
 
The truth is, every winter in the U.S., an average of 1,836 deaths and 136,309 injuries are attributed to conditions on icy and snowy roads.  Obviously not every American is equally at risk.  Not every state has icy conditions in the winter. Some states have worse winters than others. Some people are better at driving in icy conditions than others.  Some cars are better equipped than others when it comes to handling these conditions… but at the end of the day, there will be wrecks, injuries, and even fatalities.
 
Now mind you, this is only in the winter time!  However, every time you get behind the wheel, you are risking your own well-being and the well-being of others.  The statistics are enough to scare you into giving up driving altogether, but let’s be honest - the majority of us are going to take our chances.
 
As a pastor, I know there are dangers out there.  When I have an elderly member who says “I’m afraid to drive on the ice,” or “I can’t see very well at night and don’t think I should come to the night services,” I certainly don’t get mad at them.  I may offer them some transportation, or I will encourage them to just stay home and be safe.

So, my take on the whole coronavirus scare is very similar.  This year, something like 23,000 people died from the flu, and every time we left our house or pushed a shopping cart, we were at risk.  I realize the coronavirus might be way more contagious and maybe even deadlier if not controlled.  I know that we are risking harm to ourselves or others (much like we are every time we get behind the wheel... especially when it is icy).  I know some parts of the country are at higher risk than others.  I know some people are more likely to die if they contract the virus... 

For all those reasons, I’m not against people choosing to shut down their services, nor am I against people choosing to stay home if the services continue.  That is their prerogative, and I trust they are trying to do what they believe is the safest for their congregation or themselves.  

At the same time, I personally have seen God do some amazing things among a handful of people that meet together in spite of the extra challenges or risks they took to assemble together in difficult times.  To some folks, the few times we meet together with one another is more important to their well-being than going out to the grocery store to buy some more toilet paper and Clorox wipes.  To some, it means more to come in and be fed from the Word of God than to go inside a fast food restaurant and order their food to go.  To some, it means more to continue giving out the Gospel in these times than it does to raise money for distributing masks and latex gloves to the community.

Quite frankly, I AM concerned about the government forcing a church to shut down or pay a fine and/or face jail time.  That doesn't sit well with me at all, but I'm not looking for a fight with the government.  The very nature of separation of church and state is "I'll stay out of your business, and you stay out of my Father's business."  If they want to limit how many kids can be in a daycare at one time or how many workers can be in one particular place of business or another... fine with me.  

My policy for keeping the church doors open is the same as it has always been. I always plan on having services if I can at all make it, but I won't try to coerce anyone to make it who does not feel it is safe to come.  With all that being said, here are some policies I will try to enforce during this time:

• If anyone is running a fever or has a cough, you are encouraged to stay home.
• We understand that our elderly members and those with health problems are the most at risk, so we encourage them to take extra precautions to keep themselves from infection.
• We are going to avoid shaking hands, hugging, or talking too closely with one another in order to play it safe.
• We are paying extra attention to disinfecting surfaces that are more likely to be touched.
• We record our services, so if you miss a service, feel free to ask us how you can watch or listen.
• For those who use social media, we are trying to offer live streaming of our services online.

It is important to preach the Gospel to every creature, but we want to do all that we can to take it the next step and begin to encourage people to get baptized, get involved in a good church, and to begin growing in the Lord.  Following is a general overview of a plan we are implementing:

I think perhaps I have done a poor job of trying to explain this work, and so I'm going to try to lay it out in this article so that when I am asked in the future, I can just refer people here.

Question:
Is KC Mission some sort of humanitarian program?

Answer:
No, we don't give out soup and blankets to homeless people... it isn't THAT type of "mission."  We give out the Gospel and try to rescue souls from Hell; THAT is the mission we are on!
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Question:
Is KC Mission a church?

Answer:
No. This is a ministry of our church--Iola Baptist Temple.  All those who are involved in this work are under the authority of IBT and are encouraged to join (in accordance to our church bylaws) to be covenanted together with us to accomplish the work of the church in an organized and orderly way.

Question:
So, it is a church plant? 

Answer:
Yes and no.  Some of the confusion here has to do with how this phrase is used today.  I don't particularly care for the modern practice of "planting churches" and what that looks like in our current era, and so I have not wanted to embrace that phrase. As a result, people who think of us as a "church plant" are really confused.  "Why the name KC Mission? Shouldn't it be Such-and-such Baptist Church?"  Well, honestly, I'm not a fan of the method where a man gets ordained as a "pastor," raises support for a couple years, finds a building in the area he wants to "plant a church," and then he starts canvasing the area in hopes of getting the community to come attend his services.

Now, a lot of good guys do it this way, and I'm not complaining.  Neither do I want to start a debate and cause problems, so instead, I just remain mostly quiet on the matter.  As a result, I'm afraid that we are the ones who end up appearing very unorthodox and unscriptural. So, let me explain:

There is definitely a distant vision of one day seeing this work become an independent Baptist church with an ordained pastor to lead it.  However, we have no current plans of this happening anytime soon.  Right now, we just want to stay focused on our mission.

What about the term "Satellite church?"

Well, that title might seem to fit the closest as far as how we appear in terms of meeting in a location (albeit a very flexible and temporary location) that is nearly two hours away from the town where our church typically meets.  But it isn't a separate church that livestreams my preaching or that I show up to as a guest speaker... if that was the case, there are far better preachers they could listen to every time they meet! I work with this group as much as possible and then they also try to come to Iola from time to time to meet with the rest of our members. We meet together twice per week in KC for preaching and/or ministry training and three times per week for soul-winning.

So, to try to clear it all up, here is what KC Mission is... are you ready?

KC mission is a "mission" work in "Kansas City!" 

Thus the title "KC Mission" (Originally I thought of calling this work "Operation Samaria"... but I'll have to explain that in another post sometime).

In closing, let me state the mission of Iola Baptist Temple's work in KC (which we call "KC Misson") 

1) Our mission is to knock on every door in the Kansas City metro with the sole purpose of presenting a clear and thorough Gospel presentation and inviting those who believe the Gospel to call upon the Lord for their salvation.

2)  Our mission is to train disciples of Christ for church ministry, and to raise new laborers who will join us in fulfilling the #1 mission.
 

If you or your church would like to team up with us or would like us to knock any doors in your area, contact us and let us know.
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If you want a basic demonstration of what we do, I just recently uploaded a nine-part seminar that includes a demonstration.

A while back I covered this topic in a Sunday School class and thought it would be good to share.  This is based off of the outline I handed out to everyone in Sunday School class. I left the underlined words for emphasis (these were blanks in the original handout).  

One of the most common questions I get deals with depression, so hopefully this can help someone!

Depression is very real, and anyone can experience it to different degrees.  It is not always justified and could possibly even be a sin against God… but we must be careful not to judge unrighteously.  Those of us who don’t understand it may be tempted to react according to how we feel about the situation and fail to consider the person who is depressed.

Here are a few basic thoughts to consider if you are dealing with someone you think is depressed:

• Many depressed people are already to the point of giving up and they don’t really care anymore, so you probably can’t “shame” them into doing right.
• Substances and mental illnesses can increase the severity of this condition.
• Whereas we don’t want to enable a person to live in this state, there are times when we might be able to patiently help someone get through these times… and there are times when we can’t.

Here are a few basic thoughts to consider when you are the one who is depressed:

• You might not even realize you are depressed!
• Ultimately, it is within your power to deal with it or let it go on.
• Dealing with it will likely involve listening to people who care about you (and even if you don’t have anyone you think cares about you, God does!).
• At some point your depression will become a sin.

But my thoughts aren’t nearly as important as “What does the Bible say?”  So here are a few examples of depression in the Bible:


1. Depression caused by grief (or “Sorrow of heart”)

Example: David (2 Samuel 12:15-24)
                     
In this case, David had brought the situation on himself as a result of his sins... and he knew it.  Still, the situation he was going through caused him much grief that he couldn't bear.  His son was very sick and was about to die.  Often, when someone is going through depression they will show the same signs David did, which are these:

• Not eating
• Unusually quiet
• Lying around inside

 
How did others respond?  Well, those who loved him and cared about him tried to feed him.  They tried to talk with him.  They tried to get him out of bed... Ultimately, he refused these things, and nobody knew how to help him.

How did God deal with him?  It certainly was no surprise to God that David was grieving.  After all, God was the one who brought these circumstances, and He had a reason for them.  So, He continued on with the lesson He was teaching David because it was best for everyone.  Though it may be difficult, we need to trust that God knows what is best for everyone, and He will get us through difficult times if we will trust Him.
               
Example: Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:1-4)

Nehemiah is another character who showed signs of depression.  In this story, Nehemiah is depressed about something righteous--God's city is destroyed and without walls and it is vexing Nehemiah's soul.  The main sign in this example was that he had a sad countenance  in front of the king who knew this was abnormal behavior.           

We can learn something here from the actions of the king who cared about Nehemiah.  He simply asked him what was wrong.
Then, since it was in his power to do so, he gave Nehemiah what he wanted and allowed him to help rebuild the walls.  Obviously, we can't always give people what they want (nor should we), but sometimes it is the right thing to do. 

In this case, God miraculously provided for Nehemiah.  He blessed him in the end!  He protected him even though he would go on to endure very trying times as a result of this endeavor to build the wall for the Lord and His people.  



2. Depression caused by exhaustion
 
Example: Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-8)

Here is another example where a godly man was doing all he could for the Lord and just got to a point where he couldn't go any further. He had seen that God was with him and was blessing Him, but that was slowly hidden in the background of the new trouble he had gained.  He was now on the run from those who sought to kill him, and physically he couldn’t go on.  It was so bad that he actually asked God to take his life, and then he went to sleep…

Elijah was all alone, apparently, and though there was no one around to help comfort and encourage him, God stepped in to comfort him.  God allowed Elijah to sleep awhile, then He sent an angel to feed him, and then God allowed him to sleep some more!

Honestly, that is sometimes all a person needs when they are depressed.  Let them get some good food and some good rest, and then they can get back out there and do the work some more!  He seems to have awakened with a renewed strength to push on, and God led him to his next challenge (This type of depression should pass fairly quickly for a man or woman of God!)
 
3. Depression caused by anger at God
               
Example: Jonah (Jonah 4)

In this example, Jonah doesn't like the way God worked in his life and he literally acts like a spoiled brat!  He huffs and puffs and shows his disapproval.  He is upset that God would show mercy on a people that he hated... and so he went into a bout of selfish depression.

It appears that no one else was around to see this behavior, but God certainly did!  God Rebuked him (rather mercifully, really) and asked him a question that any person going through this type of depression needs to be asked...

"Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?" Jonah 4:4

There is no evidence that Jonah ever came out of this depression.  Perhaps he did (I hope so), but by experience I can say that few seldom do!  There is little you can do to help a person like this, so you are best off to leave them alone and focus your attention on better things.

In the last lesson we talked a little about how various aspects of the Charismatic Movement have crept into evangelical (even Baptist) churches.  We talked about the focus on emotionalism and experience; there exists among churches today an unhealthy desire to be controlled by the supernatural.  Also, we talked about how there is a fear of losing salvation that can be associated with the Charismatic movement.  Finally, we talked abou how there is a motivation toward physical and financial self-improvement). 

Before we start talking about the individual aspects of the Charismatic Movement, I want to start by explaining some of the things that led up to this movement becoming so popular.  To begin with, let's simply consider the history of human nature.  All of the desires mentioned above naturally appeal to our human flesh and there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).  Therefore we can expect to find some of these thoughts all throughout history to some degree.  Really, we even see it in Paul’s day.  There were men who were seeking the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-24)

But in more recent history, the Charismatic movement began with the “Holiness Movement.”

From Wikipedia:
“Pentecostalism emerged in the early 20th century among radical adherents of the Holiness movement who were energized by revivalism and expectation for the imminent Second Coming of Christ.  Believing that they were living in the end times, they expected God to spiritually renew the Christian Church thereby bringing to pass the restoration of spiritual gifts and the evangelization of the world.”
               
The main doctrinal beliefs of the Holiness movement largely came from the influence of Methodism (John Westly), and also (to a lesser degree) the Anabaptists. But this idea of "revivalism" inspired some to desire to be back in the “Apostolic Age.”  People wanted to be able to practice the supernatural things they read about the apostles doing.

But we will skip forward through history to 1900.  During this time, the teachings of Charles F. Parham (although not very popular) began to slowly  spread (he was based in Topeka, KS).  Parham’s beliefs included speaking in tongues as a sign of “Spirit baptism.” Soon, several young, African Americans were influence by Parham’s teachings, including a man named William J. Seymour 

Considering the fact that America had seen a century or so of “snake_ oil _salesmen,” it makes sense that this would carried over into the spiritual realm as well.  It is worth noting that during this time many cults were springing up.  And people were looking for something "new."

Well, eventually Parham was arrested for the accusation that he was practicing homosexuality, but later the charges were dropped without enough evidence to prove it. These allegations caused a lot of persecution among Parham’s followers, and eventually William Seymour rose as a leader among the group.

Seymour eventually led in a 3-year long revival on Azusa Street in Los Angeles that became known as “the Azusa Street Revival”
This revival began in a small house in a very poor town.

From Wikipedia:
“Seymour and his small group of new followers soon relocated to the home of Richard and Ruth Asberry at 216 North Bonnie Brae Street.  White families from local holiness churches began to attend as well. The group would get together regularly and pray to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. On April 9, 1906, after five weeks of Seymour's preaching and prayer, and three days into an intended 10-day fast, Edward S. Lee spoke in tongues for the first time.  At the next meeting, Seymour shared Lee's testimony and preached a sermon on Acts 2:4 and soon six others began to speak in tongues as well, including Jennie Moore, who would later become Seymour's wife. A few days later, on April 12, Seymour spoke in tongues for the first time after praying all night long.
News of the events at North Bonnie Brae St. quickly circulated among the African American, Latino and White residents of the city, and for several nights, various speakers would preach to the crowds of curious and interested onlookers from the front porch of the Asberry home. Members of the audience included people from a broad spectrum of income levels and religious backgrounds. Hutchins eventually spoke in tongues as her whole congregation began to attend the meetings. Soon the crowds became very large and were full of people speaking in tongues, shouting, singing and moaning. Finally, the front porch collapsed, forcing the group to begin looking for a new meeting place. A resident of the neighborhood described the happenings at 216 North Bonnie Brae with the following words:
They shouted three days and three nights. It was Easter season. The people came from everywhere. By the next morning there was no way of getting near the house. As people came in they would fall under God's power; and the whole city was stirred. They shouted until the foundation of the house gave way, but no one was hurt.”

This meeting was then moved to Azusa Street where the meeting continued. Today, different groups will point to this revival as the start of their movement (typically called Pentecostalism), but, as we saw in the last lesson, the Charismatic movement spread to many groups that would not necessarily call themselves Pentecostal in doctrine.  This was the start of what is called the "first wave" of the Charismatic movement. 

In the next lesson we will talk about all "three waves" of the Charismatic movement.

"Get out your OLD KING JAMES Bible," the chapel speaker said before delivering his message. He paused for a few seconds so all the people sitting in the front section could get in their shouts. "AMEN!" they yelled. Some of the yells sounded more like, "Hey Man!" or even an exaggerated "Haaaay Maaaayeeeen!"

Others in the congregation just laughed at the hoopla, or even rolled their eyes at all the fuss being made over which English translation (or "version") of the Bible they were using. Honestly, I didn't really know which group I should be a part of, so I mostly remained quiet. I did, however, feel a certain pressure to identify with the loudest group--the "KJV people."

My parents had raised me in KJV-only churches. I went a few years to a Christian school that was KJV-only. I married into a family that was very strong KJV-only on both sides. I had grown up around Christians who would take a Sharpie and mark out the NIV Bible quote on the back of a greeting card and rewrite it in KJV. Now, here I sat in a Bible College that taught the KJV-only position, but there was only one problem--I didn't really know why I was KJV-only!

Now, over two decades later, I find myself in the ministry, standing in the pulpit, saying "Get out your Old King James Bible..." And I realize there are some yelling "Amen" who have no idea why they are KJV-only, and there are others rolling their eyes saying, "Really? What is the big deal?!" I could bore you with several pages explaining the reasons I have come to be so strong on my position regarding the King James Version of the Bible, but instead, I simply want to address the readers who might be wondering, "Why the big fuss over a Bible version?" Please don't just think of us as over-zealous, radical, conspiracy theorists (all of which we may very well be), but rather consider some very basic reasons for our concern.

As technology advances, and information becomes more abundant than ever before, we are also finding an increasing ignorance of the content of the Bible. Religion as a whole seems to be shrinking, and we find our nation to be primarily of a secular "humanistic (do whatever makes you happy)" mindset. Among "non-conforming" people who call themselves "Bible-believing Christians," there are so many varying belief systems that one can hardly identify themselves with a particular set of beliefs. Yet, as many divisions as there are, many are becoming part of a movement that tries to do away with any denominational title and where everyone can just keep their divisive views and opinions to themselves. They simply want to come together to "praise and worship" God in whatever popular method of "praising" and "worshiping" their church leaders choose to lead them.

What does that have to do with Bible translations? Let me try to explain. Currently, there are hundreds of versions of the Bible, at least 50 of which are commonly used and popular in America. Among these are:
New International Version (NIV)
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
New King James Version (NKJV)
English Standard Version (ESV)
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
New Century Version (NCV)
New English Bible (NEB)
American Standard Version (ASV)
Good News Bible (GNB) / Today’s English Version (TEV)
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Today’s New International Version (TNIV)
New English Translation (NET)
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
God’s Word Translation (GW)
Common English Bible (CEB)
New International Readers Version (NIrV)
Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)
Bible in Basic English (BBE)
21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
What is the Modern King James Version (MKJV)?
What is the Modern English Version (MEV)?
World English Bible (WEB)
Revised English Bible (REB)
Jerusalem Bible (JB)
New American Bible (NAB)
The Living Bible (TLB)
The Message (MSG)
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

For hundreds of years, there was basically only one English translation used among English speaking people--the "Authorized" King James Version of 1611.  This was sort of a "final draft" of earlier English versions.  Minor revisions were made in 1769, but they were only to keep up with major changes in the English language in regards to spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Overall, the words were kept the same until the middle of the twentieth century.

Modern versions arose after archaeological discoveries were made in the late 1800's (more were made in the 1940's and early 1950's including the "Dead Sea Scrolls").  Experts claimed that many manuscripts found in these discoveries dated back before the manuscripts used to translate the King James Bible, and so they must be closer to the original Greek writings. (NOTE: Most Bible scholars will point out that the differences found in these manuscripts were so minor that it affected little, if any, "major" doctrinal beliefs.  Others are not so convinced of that.)

It is interesting to notice that this was also at a time when evolutionary theories were increasingly being accepted by "scholars." Scientific experts were producing large amounts of evidence that seemed to put some biblical concepts into question (such as the age of the earth, evolution of our species, etc.). Christians started combating these ideas with new interpretations of passages in the Bible that would bridge the gap between evolutionary theories and the Bible.

So naturally, the majority of people saw a need to update the Bible to make it "relevant." They put out a new translation in 1952 called the Revised Standard Version, and from there many, many more have come. Not only did these new translations include various changes based on the "new" discoveries, but many took the liberty to change words to "better explain" what the translators believed certain passages meant. Now, it is easier than ever to pick a Bible that says what you want it to say regarding just about any topic.  This brings us back to the condition of our society that is increasingly concerned about doing whatever makes them happy as opposed to seeking to do things of which God approves and disapproves.

The main reason people typically choose to use a modern version is because, they say, it is easier to understand. I haven't found that to be the case. There are many words in modern translations that are far less understandable than the words used in the King James Version.

Probably the most common phrase I hear is that "modern translations take out the confusing words like 'thee' and 'thou' and 'ye' and all that stuff." In actuality, a basic understanding of these words make certain passages much clearer. "Thee," "thy," and "thine" are all singular and "you," "your," and "yours" are all plural. In modern translations they are all changed to "you." Other languages use singular and plural tenses of personal pronouns, but in modern English there is no distinction. For this reason, the King James Version makes it much easier to understand in deciding, for example, if a passage is addressing one person or a group of people. So even if we don't talk like they did in the 1600's and 1700's, it is not that hard to figure out what the words mean (sometimes an old dictionary is helpful to see what a word meant long ago). I say all that simply to point out that there is much more to modern translations than just making archaic words easier to understand.

Quiet honestly, I believe we are in a battle against forces that want to rid the world of true Christianity, and an attack on the Bible is probably the most effective tactic that can be used to accomplish this. When people lose faith in the authority of God's word, they begin a downward spiral away from God entirely. The destruction of Christianity has always come from three sources: The world (rulers and systems that oppose the true God), the flesh (our own desires to please ourselves), and the Devil (a literal, spiritual being we call Satan, with all his forces of evil, who seeks to devour mankind and keep us from following God).

Consider the following, random ways in which we can see "the world," "the flesh," and "the Devil" at work in modern translations:

• Bibles cost money, and companies want to publish Bibles that will sell well. Remember the Bible says the love of money is the root of all evil (attack from the system of the world).
• We want to read Bibles that make us feel good about ourselves and are more enjoyable to read (attack of the flesh)
• Multiple Bibles in a church causes confusion and doubt about the authority of the Bible. This can lead people away from the faith entirely (attack of Satan)
• Various translations can accommodate different belief systems, keeping people from the truth (attack of Satan)
• We want to keep up with modern trends (attack of the flesh)
• A variety of choices in translations fits into our "tolerant," humanistic culture (attack from the system of the world)

So, as much as there is out there to understand about the preservation of the Bible and the accuracies and inaccuracies of modern translations, the real question is who are you going to trust to translate your Bible without being affected by "the world," "the flesh," and "the devil?" If the King James Bible was used successfully for hundreds of years with hardly any other translations out there for English speaking people to read, it seems like we should be okay with that one. In my opinion, we should be very cautious to accept anything our modern world has to offer.
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Please understand that just because some of us are so passionate about this subject, it doesn't make us all crazy. Excuse us if we seem to be making too much of a fuss out of this issue. If you go to a church where a different version is used, we may be concerned about it, but we are not implying that you or your church leaders are inherently evil and hate the Bible. We just feel very confident in standing firm on the "Old King James Bible," and want you to consider doing the same.

As part of our series from the Sermon on the Mount, I recently preached a message from Matthew 6:22-23,

22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness!

The phrase "if thine eye be evil" stuck out to me, and I started where I usually start when studying out a phrase in the Bible; I looked at all the verses I could find with a similar phrase.  (Hint: the meaning of the phrase is directly related to the context of the verses before and after Vv. 22 and 23).

​Once again, the Bible really defines itself!

Here are some verses for you to look at (click on the verses to open the links):

• Proverbs 23:1-8 (evil eye of the king with his dainties)
• Proverbs 28:22 (someone with an "evil eye" hasteth to be rich) (compare to the “bountiful eye” in Proverbs 22:9)
• Mark 7:22 (an "evil eye" is something that comes out of the heart of a man)
• Deuteronomy 15:7-11 (One whose eye is evil chooses not to help his poor brethren)
• Deuteronomy 28:54-56 (evil eye of the tender man/delicate woman…)

 

(Notes from our current Sunday School lesson, this is a subject that I feel is very important for our modern day churches to consider)

Introduction

As an introduction to this study, I want to discuss ways in which the Charismatic movement has crept into Christianity (Including Roman Catholics, Protestants, and even Baptists).  This movement is typically a major part of “non-denominational” or “evangelical” congregations.  It is also seen in many modern Baptist churches; both in progressive-type churches, and even more traditional-type, independent Baptist churches (particularly in the South).
 
In this lesson we will consider some signs to watch for in order to identify the influence of the Charismatic movement in a person or church body.  We will discuss some of these more thoroughly in future lessons, as well as the history of Pentecostalism; but for now, let’s just get familiar with some of the characteristics of this movement:

1.  A focus on “experience” or “feelings”
               
I have heard many Baptists claim that we have de-emphasized the work of the Holy Spirit as a response to the Charismatic movement.  As a result, some Baptist churches claim others are “dead.”  Some try to “liven up” the service with their music, shouting, and lifting of hands. 

These aren’t necessarily bad things, but I fear it has opened many Baptists (particularly those who are simple concerning the evils associated with the  Charismatic movement) to embracing Charismatic teachings and behaviors.  This often leads to the sacrifice of truth for the gratification of (what they believe to be) the Spirit (John 4:20-26, 2 Timothy 3:1-17).
       
Many Baptist churches have embraced a Charismatic style of “Praise and Worship” music that appeals to the emotions instead of admonishing one another with the truths of God’s Word (Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 5:15-20).  Notice the reference to being “drunk with wine” as opposed to walking “circumspectly”(V.15) and having “understanding.”

2.  A desire to be controlled by the “Supernatural”
      
If we are saved, we are indeed indwelt with the Spirit who guides us into all truth (John 16:13, John 2:22; 12:16, Acts 11:16). The Bible (the complete Word of God) is the final “supernatural” revelation of God. (We will spend more time on this in future lessons)

3.  A fear of losing salvation
               
The irony is that this is how we can generally find out if someone is even saved or not.  One must be trusting in the work of Christ alone for their salvation and is therefore saved “through faith” (Ephesians 2:8,9).  Being afraid of losing one’s salvation is a sign that they are trusting in their own works          for salvation.

4.  A motivation toward physical and financial Self-improvement.
 
We see this in what we call the “prosperity gospel," Also known as the “health and wealth gospel" or “name it and claim it.”

(We will discuss some of this at length in future lessons)

The theme for this year's Focus on Evangelism Conference (November 6-10) is:

 

After becoming the pastor of Iola Baptist Temple, my desire to provide exciting programs, games, highly sought after guest speakers, top-notch youth rallies, etc. began to fizzle out a bit and was replaced with a desire for a simpler approach to ministry.  I'm certainly not against those things, and I still like to take part in them as much as possible, but I felt in my heart that this wasn't where I needed to spend the bulk of my time and energy. 

I felt like I needed to challenge our people to refocus on  what we know to be the "main thing."  Specifically, I felt like we all needed a push to get back to basics of "personal evangelism" (soul-winning).  I felt many of us had seemed to have lost our "first love" and had become too preoccupied with secondary forms of "ministry" which actually accomplished very little for the cause of Christ (maybe it was just me... but I suspect not).    

So, last year we put together a simple conference for our church called the "Focus on Evangelism Conference;" and for our first conference we had a simple theme - "We Love People."

Over the course of the next several months, it was super encouraging to see our church step it up to the best of our abilities in the area of evangelism.  Also, the Lord allowed me to get connected and teamed up with a handful of guys who are very like-minded when it comes to our philosophy of ministry.  We have been working together and have been blessed to see many people call on the Lord in this last year through hours and hours of knocking doors and presenting a clear presentation of the Gospel.

My desire with this year's conference is not only that we might be equipped with resources that would allow us to improve in the area of personal evangelism, but that we would also be able to take what we have learned and use it to help train others who have a heart to do the same.

I will be giving more details soon about this year's conference, if anyone is interested in joining us.  I will also be sending out letters, but feel free to send me any helpful input or inquiries about this conference.