When I first came to faith in Jesus over a decade ago, I used to trash Christians who would retreat from culture and isolate themselves from the world around them, calling them bubble Christians. After all, it’s hard to be light to the world when you never leave the protective bubble of your home and your church gatherings in order to truly share the revolutionary truth of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

Over the last year, and especially in the last few weeks, however, I’ve begun to understand bubble Christians more. Having school-aged kids will do that to you, especially in light of recent events, such as the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT.

Like many of you, I’m tired. I’m not tired of any one situation or event, but I am tired of shock and pain, tired of government controversy and overreach, tired of false saviors promising to fix things, and tired of all the bickering amongst people about all the things I’m already tired about! It’s enough to tempt anyone to want to hide in a bubble…

And so, I’m sorry that in my youthful zealous behavior I trashed some well-meaning brothers and sisters in faith, because it was un-Christlike, and because I can certainly hear you now!

That said, however; we do still have to deal with these parts of life. It’s still wrong for us to withdraw from a broken and hurting world into the perceived “safety” of a Christian ghetto. This is especially true since, as followers of Christ, we represent the grace and hope that everyone who has ever lived needs, whether they realize it or not. It’s also wrong of us to raise our kids in such a way that they never have a chance to be intellectually challenged on issues of faith, and thus don’t have to defend what they believe or why. We don’t do our kids any favors if we merely spoon-feed them moralistic Bible stories and VeggieTales; they need to experience the Gospel of grace, lived out.

I understand the lure of shutting everything out; perhaps now more than ever! However it’s when the bubble is most attractive that we must wage war against our flesh the hardest, and resist the urge to isolate. Instead we’ve got to keep pressing onward with the beautiful echo of Christ’s Greatest Commandments and Great Commission as our calling:

Love God, Love People, and Make Disciples of Jesus.

Over the past few weeks at North Country Fellowship, we’ve been looking at the scriptures as we consider the topic of legacy. What does a godly personal legacy look like? How should it be developed? And, how should it impact our families?

As we continue this week, we’ll be discussing how the the church is meant to fit into all of this.  What follows below are some stream-of-consiousness thoughts that I put together as a basic introduction for NCF folks to get familiar with the historical-redemptive history that we are a part of. We are where we are today because of God’s faithfulness, and the great legacy of faith that has been passed to us by the Saints of old!

The Early Church Fathers

If we remember that legacy is, in essence, about the things which are passed down from one generation to the next, then the church is itself a wonderful representation of legacy in action.

From the very beginning of History, God’s redemptive plan has always been testified to through a covenant people; first the physical nation of Israel, and now the New Covenant followers of Jesus Christ known as the church.

The Apostle Paul, who had grown out of a strong Hebrew family legacy, was instrumental as a leader in the early church. He became known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, because God used him as a missionary, reaching out to many people groups and nations who had not previously been part of the covenant promises God made with Israel previously. Paul was used to bring many to Christ; to teach sound doctrine about who Jesus is and why we need to follow Him; to establish new churches in many cities, and to disciple Pastors to lead those churches.

One such pastor was a young man named Timothy, who like Paul, had come from a solid family legacy. Timothy’s mother, Eunice, and Grandmother, Lois, were both followers of Christ who had raised him in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Timothy had a close relationship with Paul, who considered him like a Son in the Faith.

And in 2 Tim. 2, Paul shares this encouragement with Timothy:

2 Timothy 2:1-2 (NLT) – Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. ² You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. 

Paul wanted Timothy to be strong, to press on in the truth of Jesus’s sacrifice for our sins. Timothy had seen the things the Paul and the other Apostles taught confirmed as true time and time again, and now Paul was calling on Timothy to share the message of the Gospel with others!

But he was not just to share it, but to share it, and find trustworthy people who will be able to keep the message pure, and share it with others as well. This is a command that remains for those of us who follow Christ today!

Happy Reformation Day!

Of course, over the course of the nearly two-thousand years since Christ’s life, death and resurrection, the message of the Gospel has been shared. The doctrine taught by the early church fathers has been taught and passed on. And generation after generation of faithful followers of Christ have found salvation in the person and work of Jesus Christ. A true legacy indeed!

However, that doesn’t mean that everyone who received the Gospel message passed it on as trustworthy as Paul had hoped, or that there weren’t simply mistakes made along the way. After all, one of effects of the sin nature is that people don’t always get stuff right.

Around 500 years ago, there came a time in church history where the message that was being taught by the majority of the church leaders of the day, was no longer the message that Paul had entrusted to the saints.

The church had developed some off the wall doctrines, some of which still exist in some denominations. They taught a place called “purgatory” which existed so that a person could go there when they died, to be purified so that they could later go to heaven. Never-mind the finished work of Christ, on the cross…

The church was also in the habit of accepting bribes, known as indulgences, to declare a person free from transgression and bound for heaven regardless of their sin: Not only is that unbiblical, but it’s dumb! No mere mortal, even Pastor Mike, has the power to decide if you’re going to heaven or hell. That outcome is decided solely based upon one’s faith, or lack thereof, in the person and work of Jesus. But that isn’t what the church was preaching.

It was a difficult time, especially because the average person in the pew didn’t have access to the Bible in their own language, to be able to read for themselves.

But then something happened. On October, 31, 1517, that’s 495 years ago this past week, a priest named Martin Luther posted something called the 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenberg, Germany. See, Luther had been studying these things against the truth of scripture, weighing the practices of his church against the Word of God… And what he saw bothered him… So he wrote 95 statements challenging the church’s practice.

Just guess how the Pope and other church leaders responded?

Yeah, long story short, they didn’t like it… And when he wouldn’t retract his statements, they excommunicated him as a heretic. Thing was, he wasn’t a heretic. He was right. He understood scripture… And soon, others started to see it.

And his actions are regarded as the birth of the Protestant Reformation, from which a whole host of church groups, including Lutheran, Presbyterian, and yes, Baptist, among others, draw their heritage.

That’s why Halloween is merely a 2nd-rate holiday… The real fun is in celebrating Reformation Day every October 31st!

Now, at NCF Church, we don’t necessarily agree with every point of doctrine that Luther advocated. We aren’t Lutheran, right? But, like Luther, we stand on scripture, and have a desire to be faithful to the Word of God in all our faith and practice. We stand in the legacy of Calvin, and Edwards and Spurgeon, and all those faithful Reformers and Puritans who came before us.

What’s a Conservative Baptist Association, anyway?

So, why does the Reformation matter? Well, it opened up the dialog and got the church back on the track Paul told us to be on:

2 Timothy 2:2 (NLT) - You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. 

It’s all about HEARING the truth and TRAINING others. And if we actually fast forward a bit to talk about our own church’s association, we’ll see that the legacy passed on by the Reformers was inherited by a group of churches that in turn laid down a foundation for NCF.

Most of you know that we are a Conservative Baptist Church, affiliated with CBMissionNortheast and CBAmerica…

Since “Conservative” doesn’t mean “Suit, Tie, and Hymns”, what does that even stand for?

To answer that well, we need to know the history! CB is an organization that grew out of a concern for legacy as well. In the 1920s and 1930s a movement in the American Church was growing towards theological liberalism. This means is that some church organizations, including the Northern Baptist Convention, were beginning to reject the idea that God’s word is inerrant and authoritative for our lives. Some were beginning to see the Word of God as mere myth and social gospel, not the true redemptive narrative that it actually is.

In the 1940’s, a group of Northern Baptist Convention pastors who were committed to the truth of the Bible, spilt off and founded a missions society, and a few years later, an association of churches, under the Conservative Baptist banner. They had the same conviction about the scriptures as the Reformers: that it should be read and held to as God’s inerrant and authoritative word, sufficient for all our faith and practice.

When we say we’re Conservative Baptists, it means that we’re conservative about the Bible. We believe it’s God’s word. We believe that is should be read in context, that it means what it says, that that it’s not just some myth. It doesn’t mean that we’re culturally stuffy, that we all worship in one format, or that we all vote one particular way.

It’s all about our faithfulness to Biblical theology, and our willingness to live for God in association with other like-minded churches, and I think, it’s a great legacy to be a part of!

And it’s one that’s just as relevant as ever, because even today there are folks INSIDE our evangelical churches who are, as Martin Luther would say, “Doing injury to the word of God”, by advocating things clearly contrary to scripture. Folks who claim there is no literal heaven and hell; folks who deny the divinity of Christ; folks who again deny the authority of the scriptures… all of whom continue to call themselves Christians.

Okay, so where do we go from here?

Hopefully this has given you some idea of the heritage that we have been blessed to inherit. However, the topic of legacy doesn’t stop with what we get, but goes on to include that which we leave behind. Lord willing, I’ll be able to post the sermon that addresses these issues after Pastor Mike and I preach this Sunday!

In the mean time, there are few links you might want to check out:

• North Country Fellowship Church - Our site is being rebuilt, but will be back soon!
• Luther’s 95 Theses – Hosted by The Spurgeon Archive, a great resource.
• CBMissionNortheast – The regional association of churches we belong to.
• CBAmerica – The national association of churches that we belong to.

A shining example of this can be found in the DNC vote which took place on Wednesday evening, when the Democratic party adopted a resolution which made an amendment to their stated platform for the 2012 campaign season. This amendment re-inserted two phrases; one dealt with people having God-given potential, and the other was a foreign-policy statement identifying Jerusalem as legitimately being Israel’s capital now and forever.

The misstep, and in my opinion it was a doozy, was that the Democratic Convention Chairman chose to adopt the amendment by railroading it through the convention delegates, who clearly weren’t in agreement. According to the rules, successful adoption of the amendment required a two-thirds majority vote; they did voting audibly — by yay’s and nay’s — and it sounded about 50/50.

So they voted again.

And again.

Then the DNC chair, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, simply deemed it passed despite the rules… And people “BOOED” like crazy! Watch for yourself!

And here’s where the criticism comes in: people on the Right, especially my fellow Evangelicals and others like folks in the Tea Party movement, are saying that our Democrat neighbors were “Booing God.” I’ve heard this in conversation and seen those witty images on Facebook.

But… were they really? Frankly, I’m not convinced.

Clearly a substantial number of them clearly didn’t want either a statement about God or a statement about Israel in their political platform. However, that doesn’t mean that each and every person in the organization is a heathen, or that the outburst was meant a protest against God. And on the other hand, just because a party (any party) may choose to appeal to God in their platform doesn’t mean they have God’s endorsement; Jesus isn’t a Democrat or a Republican. His Kingdom is not of this world.

Only God can know hearts and minds (which is kind of the point, isn’t it?). However, given the circumstances, I think it’s entirely possible that the majority of the folks were not booing God, but rather the fact that Mayor Villaraigosa had just taken it upon himself to pass an amendment to the 2012 Democratic platform despite a clear lack of a two-thirds majority vote. It’s likely that if I were a Democratic Delegate, even if I had voted “Yea” on the amendment, I would have “booed” that outcome too! This, just like the Republican National Convention’s refusal to seat duly elected delegates who were pledged to that other candidate, is clear evidence of the now rampant political thuggery that strikes against the very core of what this nation stands for.

Folks, we need to call out these affronts to liberty when we see them! Hold your elected officials accountable, be informed and vote in every election. Don’t allow any political group to use your faith as a marketing tool or divisive wedge. Don’t fall into the time-wasting trap of partisan bickering. And above all, pray for our nation and its leaders!

Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. – 1 Timothy 2:2-4 (NLT)

I rise today
with a mighty power, calling on the Trinity,
with a belief in the threeness,
with a faith in the oneness
of the creator of creation.

I rise today
with the power of Christ’s birth and baptism,
with the power of his crucifixion and burial,
with the power of his resurrection an ascension,
with the power of his return for the final judgement.

I rise today
with the power of the love of the cherubim,
in obedience of angels,
in service of archangels,
in hope of the resurrection and reward,
in the prayers of the patriarchs,
in the foretelling of the prophets,
in the preaching of the apostles,
in the faith of the confessors,
in the innocence of the holy virgins,
in the deeds of righteous men.

I rise today
with the strength of the sky,
with the light of the sun,
with the splendor of the moon,
with the brilliance of fire,
with the blaze of lightning,
with the swiftness of wind,
with the depth of the ocean,
with the firmness of earth,
with the strength of rock.

I rise today
with the power of God to guide me,
with the strength of God to raise me,
with the wisdom of God to lead me,
with the vision of God to see for me,
with the ears of God to hear for me,
with the words of God to hear for me,
with the hand of God to protect me,
with the path of God before me,
with the shield of God to guard me,
with the friendship of God to keep me safe from

the contriving of demons,
the temptations of sin,
the inclinations of my nature,
and everyone who wishes me harm,
far and near,
alone and in the crowd.

I summon today all those powers to protect me
against every cruel force which may attach my body and soul,
against the incantations of false prophets,
against the evil laws of unbelievers,
against the false laws of the heretics,
against the subtle temptations of idolatry,
against the magic of women, blacksmiths, and Druids,
against every knowledge which corrupts body and soul.

Christ protect me today
from poison and burning,
from drowning and wounding,
so that I might gain an abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ below me, Christ above me,
Christ to the right of me, Christ to the left of me,
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I stand,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye which sees me,
Christ in every ear which hears me.

I rise today
with a mighty power, calling on the Trinity,
with a belief in the threeness,
with a faith in the oneness
of the creator of creation.

Here’s a quote from the article:

A self-proclaimed “geek,” Champion resident Leonard A. Flack had never contacted a federal representative before.

That was until Democratic Rep. William L. Owens became a co-sponsor of the Stop Online Piracy Act, a piece of legislation that is aimed at curtailing the theft of copyrighted material but has been criticized by tech giants and everyday geeks alike as overly broad and damaging to the Internet.

“I’m not big on anything that messes with (the Domain Name System) or gives the government wide, sweeping authority to go in and shut down websites footloose and fancy free,” said Mr. Flack, who describes himself politically as independent-minded and “liberty-focused.”

I think it’s an excellent piece. Check out the rest of the article here: “As sites black out in SOPA protest, Owens hears from critics”

(Note: It will be posted on the WDT site for the next week or so; then it will be archived.)

My good friends at Alphasites spent some time working with me to get everything upgraded and working smoothly. The site is now hosted on a newer server, and I’m very pleased with things “under the hood”.

Content-wise, I’ve decided to scrap all my previous posts, since much of it was geek-related stuff that is now outdated. Fresh stuff to come, Lord willing!