InFocus

AFBC 2008: Pentecost Power

The evening started off with the Mayo family doing an item. They sang “This is The Day the Lord Hath Made” which was quite beautifully done. We then sang through several songs before the Kwok brothers did their special (Ben Kwok the Pastor of Rouse Hill Church, Mike Kwok one of the elders at Fellowship Baptist Church, and Jeremy Kwok a deacon at Fellowship Baptist). Just before Rev. Webb came up to preach we sang one song I wish to make mention of. It is a puritan prayer that was organized into a song called “O Great God” the lyrics were truly remarkable.

This evening the message was called “Pentecost Power” The text was Acts 2:36-47. The message was on on revival and viewed this passage on Acts as a ‘blueprint for spiritual revival.’ Through this passage there were five observations:

1. The soveriegnty of God.
Gods soveriegnty was displayed through His choosing of a day, time, and place which had a maximum effect on the people.

2. The spiritual preperation of the people.
A key statement he made was that Pentecost power must be preceded by Pentecost prayer. It’s prayer that releases the power.

3. The suddeness of the event.
The event occurred quickly. He also mentions the occurance of tongues and quickly clarifies the misconceptions many Charismatics and Pentecostals hold onto. He points out verses 6, 8, and 11 make mention of the fact that they all were speaking in known languages.

4. The striking power of the Apostolic preaching.
He points out that Christ is the central focus of the message and that our preaching today also needs to be Christ focused.

5. The superabundant blessings that followed.
The adding of people to the church, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit were some of the blessings.

The concluding thought of the message was that Pentecost is not just a day or an event, but a beginning of the work of God.

AFBC 2008: What’s right with the Church?

The evening started out with some singing and then moved onto a special by the Faith Baptist choir. They sung “Who Can Satisfy My Soul” which was very well done. After Alan Webb, the guest speaker, was introduced another special item was performed by Sarah from the Bob Jones University team. She sang “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”. After this Rev. Alan Webb preached his sermon entitled “What’s Right With the Church?” He had 4 points:

1. The church is the biggest institution in the world.
He states that there are over 2 billion adherents and that over 80, 000 people profess faith in Christ a day. He mentions the work in China and that over 63 million people profess faith in Christ. Moreover Korea which for most of history had no believers now has over 30% of its population claim Christ.

2. The church is the smallest institution in the world.
In reference to the local church he mentions how the body of Christ works together and how if one is effected all are effected.

3. The church is the most radical institution in the world.
The church is radical because it forces change in people’s lives.

4. The church is the most triumphant institution in the world.

He concluded the message with the thought that we are taken out of death and darkness into life and light, and not only are we taken out of and into, but unto. We are taken unto eternal life.

This week, Wednesday to Friday, is the annual Australian Fellowship of Bible-Believing Churches Bible Conference in Sydney. I felt that it would be good for us to be aware of what’s going on there this week so I’m excited that Alen Basic has agreed to live blog the conference for us!

Young men tend to want to change the world. Eventually they come to realise that if they can just change themselves, they’ve accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime. I have to admit that InFocus was born more out of a desire to change the world than to change myself, but the older I get, the more I realise that God meant InFocus to change me.

I understand that not everyone sees eye to eye with me in what I write. I also understand that most people don’t care what I write. And frankly, that doesn’t bother me too much. InFocus has been an opportunity for me to grow and challenge my own thinking on so many things. It’s been a catalyst for serious study. It’s a discipline that has benefited me greatly.

Every now and then I hear a testimony of how God has used something I’ve written in the life of someone else. I’m glad when that happens. One thing I’ve realised is that it’s not what we say and do that influences others the most. It’s who we are that influences other people in the greatest way. Becoming what God intends us to become is a long, hard journey, but it is a journey that God has promised to take us on and He will not leave us half-way to the destination.

So thanks to those of you who check in here along your journey to see what is coming out of the lives of our writers on their journey. The purpose of InFocus is still to develop readers, thinkers, and theologians among Australia’s younger fundamentalists. We’ve got some great changes in the works over at GMT and some of those changes will carry over here to InFocus so stay tuned and may God bless you and keep you.

I asked Farid Wardan, head admin at givemetruth.net, to put together some thoughts about InFocus as part of our third anniversary celebration. His thoughts are below:

I remember our conversation as clear as day. Jason and I were sitting in the car outside SBBC, we’d only known each other for a few weeks at that point but the lengthy discussions we had on a regular basis had clearly revealed our like-mindedness on many issues, and our similar visions for the future of our movement in Australia.

GMT was in its infancy and Jason expressed a desire to have an online, Australian resource for articles by and for fundamentalists. We spent a good portion of that day (and many more thereafter!) working through the requirements of getting something like that happening, and shortly after the “Fundamentalist Resource Centre” was born.

From day one Jason has proved a capable editor and writer, and last year saw the transition to the current name and format in use for the site. Yesterday marked the third anniversary of InFocus and looking back at what InFocus has come through and achieved, I’m thankful for the encouragement and helpful resource that it’s been to me. I’m thankful for Jason’s perseverance and diligence in making it what it is. Above all I’m thankful for God’s grace which empowers us to serve him.

As we plan and prepare for the future it’s our hope and prayer that this place be a blessing, and our desire to see InFocus expand to a broader audience and larger writing team! If you have any suggestions or would like to share how InFocus has been a blessing to you, then please direct your comments to Jason.

Well, today marks three years since our first post here at InFocus. It’s been a great experience in many ways and a difficult one in some ways, but I’m thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in this and look forward to what will come in the future.

I thought I’d give you some ranking stats for the last year just for fun. Our top five stories in the last twelve months were:

1. The Worst Job in the World - This is the first of a four part series Steven Mock put together for InFocus.
2. InFocus in Focus - A good post to read if you want to know what we are about.
3. Insecurity, Part Three: Understanding God’s Love for You - Part of a four part series.
4. With Regard to Essential Doctrines - Guest post by Spurgeon… bet he never thought he’d be blogging!
5. The Light That Shines Farthest - This is the summary post from when we live blogged the NBF last year. We’ll have to talk to Alen and see if we can do it again this year.

Over the next couple of days I’m planning to put up some reflections by myself and Farid Wardan. Thanks to those of you who have read, commented, or written over the last three years. I appreciate you!

A challenge by Paul Washer.

HT: Symphony of Scripture.

Music, being perhaps one of the most controversial issues in Christianity today, brings up a lot of questions. Many of them deserve to be answered personally and honestly.

Is bigger, louder, more majestic… better?
When I listen to sacred music throughout the week, am I using it for entertainment?
If I like it, does that mean I should listen to it?
If I like it, does that mean I shouldn’t listen to it?
If I don’t like it, does that mean I shouldn’t listen to it?
If I don’t like it, does that mean I should listen to it?
Does culture play a part in what I like to listen to? Am I conditioned?
Can I change my conditioning?
Do I really worship in the worship service?
Do I pray when the song is a prayer?

“It is important to realise that if you do not glorify God when you are involved in a conflict, you will inevitably glorify someone or something else. By your actions you will show either that you have a big God or that you have a big self and big problems. To put it another way, if you do not focus on God, you will inevitably focus on yourself and your will, or on other people and the threat of their wills.”

-Ken Sande, The Peace Maker

It’s kind of hard to express the things I felt as I read Jason Janz’ article yesterday morning announcing that he is moving on and passing the leadership of SI to Aaron Blumer. Though I don’t know Jason personally, I do feel a sense of comraderie with him because of the similarity of what he has done to what we are doing here at GMT and InFocus. The other thing I felt was a profound sense of gratefulness. There are three key reasons why I’m grateful for what Jason has done over the last three years.

First, I’m grateful that Jason had the courage to launch and build Sharper Iron when he knew it would be controversial and misunderstood. I’m thankful that Jason didn’t let the critics, the trolls, those with an agenda… he didn’t let them stop him or side track him. He pioneered a model for fundamentalist interaction on the web that is wise, courageous, edifying.

Second, I’m grateful that Jason opened up so many important topics for discussion within Fundamentalism. The day when open, honest Read the rest of this entry »

I’ll admit it’s not my title, but it sure is a good title. It’s actually Abraham Piper’s title and he wrote the article which you can read here. And I encourage you to do so, but if you can’t, I’ll give a very brief summary because this is something that I’m pretty passionate about.

I think Australian pastors need to blog. I understand that not every pastor can or should blog. I understand that there are certain weaknesses to the medium and certain dangers to be avoided. And I understand that the younger generation of pastors is more likely to blog than the older generation. Still, I think Australian pastors need to blog. Here are a few of my reasons and then I’ll give you six of Abraham’s reasons.

First, I believe Australian pastors need to blog because blogging creates a spirit of accountability and transparency that Fundamentalism tends to lack. The blogosphere is a level playing field of sorts where ideas naturally carry more weight than personalities.

Second, I believe Australian pastors need to blog because blogging would allow for dialogue within the Australian movement. We’re all in this together Read the rest of this entry »

By Steven Mock

The first church in Jerusalem was formed in Acts 2 when Peter preached a powerful, Spirit-filled, convicting message. God used Peter’s words to convert 3,000 people who were baptized and started meeting together. Verse 42 tells us they had four priorities as a local church: the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper, and praying.

All four of these priorities are important but the apostles’ teaching is probably mentioned first because it was the greatest of priorities. In other words, the local church must be a learning church. The Scriptures must be foundational in your church because according to 1 Timothy 3:15, truth must be pillared and protected by the church.

This leads me to discuss a problem that seems to be a modern day phenomenon in the church at large: distance preaching. I’m not talking about sitting in the back of your church building versus sitting towards the front—not that kind of distance. I am talking about the fact that we live in a day where you can listen to a variety of sermons from all around the world in a variety of media: tapes, CD’s, radio, TV, and internet—that is Read the rest of this entry »

“Looking unto Jesus and not to our brethren, not even to the best among them and the best beloved. In following a man we run the risk of losing our way; in following Jesus we are sure of never losing our way. Besides, in putting a man between Jesus and ourselves, it will come to pass that insensibly the man will increase and Jesus will decrease; soon we no longer know how to find Jesus when we cannot find the man, and if he fails us, all fails. On the contrary, if Jesus is kept between us and our closest friend, our attachment to the person will be at the same time less enthralling and more deep; less passionate and more tender; less necessary and more useful; an instrument of rich blessing in the hands of God when He is pleased to make use of him; and whose absence will be a further blessing, when it may please God to dispense with him, to draw us even nearer to the only Friend who can be separated from us by ‘neither death nor life’ (Romans 8:38-39).”

-Taken from Looking Unto Jesus, Theodore Monod, p. 9-10 (emphasis mine).

The Olympic torch relay has been an absolute debacle. It’s like the whole world is participating in a big shaming of China. And for good reason. China has been trying to play with the big boys economically for quite some time now but has avoided accountability at all cost. Well, maybe we’ll turn a blind eye just before a business deal, but it seems that when it comes to celebrating sport and the Olympic spirit, all eyes are wide open. China is being shamed by the world, and she deserves it.

China has treated religious freedom as a luxury to be bestowed on the co-operative. China has harassed, imprisoned, tortured, and even executed people for their religious beliefs for decades and continues this oppression without remorse to this day. I’m glad that this torch relay has not been peaceful. This torch carries with it the heritage of oppression and the blood of martyrs. I understand that we try to isolate the Olympics from the brokenness of the real world so that we can focus on something good and honourable, and in that sense, I’m glad the torch is traversing the free world. But in another sense, you cannot honour something good and noble with blood on your hands. In that sense, I’m glad that the Olympic flame is being greeted by protests the world over and I hope it will not have a peaceful stop on it’s journey.

China has chosen this. Shame on China.

By Randall Fox

“Be filled with the Spirit” Ephesians 5:18

The command to be Spirit-filled is one of the most vital imperatives for the Christian life. Yet one of the most misunderstood and neglected. The meaning of the command to be filled with the Spirit further unfolds as we look at other usages of the word “filled.” In John 12:3, the word “fill” is used to describe a permeating fragrance when Mary anointed the feet of the Lord: the house was “filled with the fragrance of the oil.” Being filled means to allow the Spirit to pervade every area of our lives. He must have the whole. Anyone who has the mentality that he can be filled with the Spirit yet keep some areas of his life closed to Him will never experience this. This word “filled” is often associated with human emotions. The New Testament speaks of being filled with sorrow (John 16:6), fear (Luke 5:26), or anger (Luke 6:11). Just as an immaterial emotion can dominate (”fill”) a material human body, the immaterial Spirit of God can govern a physical human being.

What does the Spirit-filling look like? Scripture gives us examples of people who were filled with the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came at Pentacost, the ensuing preaching is attributed to being filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:4). Peter, who denied Christ before a servant girl only weeks earlier, is now bold as a lion before the Sanhedrin because he was filled with the Spirit (Acts 4:8). Stephen’s fidelity to Jesus Christ and his disregard for his own life are attributed to being filled with the Spirit (Acts 7:55). That supernatural quality that characterised the early church is explained as being filled with the Spirit. The reason the early church’s courage, dedication, and love seem supernatural is because they were.

The helpful parallel passage in Colossians 3:16 replaces the phrase “Be filled with the Spirit” with “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” When you let the Word of God have its home (dwell) in your heart, you are letting the Spirit of God control you. The will of the World and the will of the Spirit are not two distinct things but one, since the Spirit wrote the Word.

Finally, it is important to distinguish the filling of the Spirit from spiritual maturity. Spiritual growth is Read the rest of this entry »