Grace Camp Meeting and Bible Conference

"You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. "
Jeremiah 29:13

We at Rockport are excited to announce our first annual "Grace Camp Meeting and Bible Conference." This should be a really great time of being challenged, encouraged and confronted in the Word, while at the same time strengthened with good fellowship. I hope to write more later, but for now, let me just give the basics.

Grace Camp Meeting and Bible Conference
at
Rockport Baptist Church
in Arnold, Missouri
(www.rockportbaptist.org)

April 10th - 13th

Featured Speakers:
Charles Leiter
Michael Morrow
Paul Washer
Mike Williams

For information, registration and speaker bios
you can go the link on our website or click HERE

The Task of a Faithful Shepherd

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
Romans 16:17-18

John Calvin said, “The pastor must have two voices, one for gathering the sheep; the other for warding off and driving away the wolves and thieves” In other words, it’s not enough merely to exposit the truth, a pastor must also be willing to expose the errors! Why? Because not all “doctrine” is created equal. If there is true doctrine, there is also false doctrine! If there is truth that builds people up in Christ (Eph 4:15) there are lies that tear them down. There are doctrines of demons (1 Tim 4:1) and destructive heresies (2 Pet 2:1) that lead people away from Christ. A faithful pastor just be willing both to build people up with truth, and at the same time warn them about error.

Now here’s where that gets hard. Because not only must he be willing to warm them about error in doctrine. He must also be willing to help his people identify those who promote such error so they can avoid them! False teachers, like a spiritual Typhoid Mary carry the contagion of corrupting doctrine into people’s lives to the destruction of their souls. For that reason a pastor must be willing at times to get specific, just as Paul did in 2 Timothy 2:16-18 when he said,

“But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.”

I know at times my friend Paul Washer has taken flak for being willing to name false teachers. So have I, at times, no matter how tactful I’ve tried to be (though thankfully, such complaints have rarely come from within our congregation). Most recently someone took me to task for a sermon posted on Sermon Audio.com (you can find it here) But I understand. People get uncomfortable (even angry) when you start “naming names” if a name you happen to name is that of their own favorite (false) teacher.

Nevertheless, this is part of the preaching task of faithful shepherd. It’s certainly not the only task he has, but it is without doubt a part an important part of it. Just as Paul commanded young Titus, in Titus 1:9, when he told him that an elder

“must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”

And the reason he must do that, v 10 continues, is because

“there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers . . . [who] must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.”

Another problem with deceivers is that they are, well . . . deceptive. If Satan can appear as “an angel of light” (1 Cor 11:14), it’s no surprise that his followers can disguise themselves as preachers of the Gospel (1 Cor 11:13). So it is necessary for faithful elders and pastors in any church, not only to expose the lie of false doctrine, but also be willing to unmask the liars who spread such teaching as well (Acts 20:28). He must name names!

So pray for faithful pastors and teachers who will , as tactfully as possible expose error (and those who promote it) as they exalt the Truth of God’s Word for the good of God’s people. Ask God to raise up faithful shepherds like those Paul describes in Acts 20:28-32

28 "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 "Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. 32 "And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

God Among Us on a Glorious Sunday!

God was among us Sunday. Yes, yes, I know that God is always present. I've taught the omnipresence of God on more than one occasion. And yet, there are times and ways that God is "more present" than in others. Sunday was one of those times.

I don't know when I first realized it. Perhaps it was as Bob began to ask different people to lead out in singing verses of "There is a Fountain". Something about the simple simplicity of different ones of you lifting up your voices and crying out to God with all your heart caused me to see God in his gracious mercy displayed in the cross of Christ that much more clearly. It was a very special moment.

Afterwards, when it came time for the sermon, it's hard for me to comment specifically on how the message was received by others -- after all I was the one doing the preaching. And yet, I became aware again of a special "help" from the Holy Spirit. I don't know what else to call it and I'm not trying to be mystical -- and I certainly would not claim any kind of special "annointing" or revelation. But God helped. I was aware of being "born along" with an added clarity and passion that was due to more than my own preparation or "feelings." (I'm doing a really terrible job of explaining this, I know, but the point is, God was at work in a very clear and identifiable way, even if it is not an easily definable way!) [Message can be found here]

Finally, we came to Sunday Evening. The "crowd" was much smaller of course (something I've never really understood), and yet the Spirit of God chose to come among us with a special grace once again. Aaron led worship. And as we began, he asked the congregation if any would be willing to share a verse or two that had special meaning to them. Once again I was stunned into gratitude as different members of our church lifted their voices one after the other after the other in a grace-filled chorus of Christ-exalting joy for mercy shown at the cross! I sat in my pew saying over and over again, "Thank you Lord, for a people who get it! Who see that the purpose of Scripture is not to give us good feelings or a sweet devotional thought, but to confront us with life anchoring truth in Christ!" The verses that were read were not the usual "promise box" verses ripped out of context to make it sound like "all is well with the world." They were passages that pointed to the triumph of grace and mercy over sin, to the steadfastness of Christ's love for His elect, and for the assurance that belongs to the sons of God who, thought they suffer in this world, have an inheritance that can never perish spoil or fade in Him! In Him! There was the unifying theme! That all we need and all we have is found in Christ by faith!

Well, I've rambled enough. All this just to say, it was a glorious Sunday and I was glad to be with the people of God in the presence of such grace!

SSL

The Barrier shattering power of the Gospel!

Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; also greet the church that is in their house.
Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia.
Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.
Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord . . .

Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the churches of Christ greet you.
Romans 16: 3-8, 16

Greeting, greetings, greetings! Romans 16:1-16 is one of those passages you’re tempted to skip over as you study your Bible. After all, what can you learn from a list of names like this? So the apostle Paul had a few friends? Great! What does that have to do with my life?

Well, skip by a passage like this too fast, and you’ll miss some of the many hidden blessings found in Scripture. I'm constantly amazed at the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in the way He has arranged the Bible, and I'm certain He wanted us to see something here as well. So what could it be?

First of all, the very fact that Paul names other people like this is significant. I don’t know how you tend to think about the apostle, but for many he is seen as a kind of a spiritual trail blazer – a lone ranger out there conquering the world alone for Christ! But when you actually ead the Bible for what it says, you find a very different picture. Paul is an amazing man, make no mistake about it. But he is also very rarely alone! Wherever he goes there are others – faithful friends and common Christians– who make His ministry possible.

That brings up the second thing. Real ministry takes lots of people. There is an idolatry in our age that kills true, biblical ministry. We exalt the mega-pastor and the so-called Christian “celebrity” as if the fate of Christianity stands or falls with them. But the fate of Christianity never stands with any man or any movement! It always stands with Christ alone! And Christ stands with His church! Not special people, but common people he chooses to use to make His glories known

There are 27 people are named here. Most of them, you’ve heard of! We know next to nothing about any one of them. And yet they are believers who are important, not only to the Apostle Paul, but also to the Kingdom of God! We should never underestimate the vital role of the ordinary men or women who faithfully follow Christ

Another thing that encourages me as I study this passage is the clear evidence of the barrier-destroying power of the Gospel. In this list of Paul's friends are found, not only men and women (down goes the gender barrier), Jews and Gentiles (so much for the racial barrier), but also slaves and noblemen as well (the social barrier). The Gospel of Christ has power to break down every dividing wall that we put up as it brings all believers together on equal footing under the cross as sinners saved by grace!

But not only do we see barriers coming down, we also see the wonderful power of salvation on display. In this list we find members of wicked King Herod’s family. We also see members of the household of Narcissus, a Roman who was tragically executed by Emperor Nero. What a joy to have a Gospel that can reach into any home – no matter how deep the pattern of sin or how great the experience of tragedy – to bring help and wholeness in Christ. My prayer is that we would see many similar miracles of grace throughout this new year!

Rejoicing in His Mercy!
Pastor Scott Lee

Jonathan Edwards and Contemporary Worship Music

I've been reading George Marsden's massive biography of Jonathan Edwards (Yale Press, 2003) and I've discovered something I never knew. During Edwards' day there was a controversy over what kind of worship music to use in church. The older, more traditionalists among the laity wanted to keep to exclusive Psalm singing (usually done poorly with no accompaniment). Why? Well, mainly because that's what had "always been done" in Puritan churches and thus, it just felt more like church to them. They were against the "modern" invention of human composed songs (we call them hymns) and the use of such innovations as three part harmony and (gasp!) musical instruments.

On the other side of the worship divide were mainly clergy who felt that God was better glorified by "regular" singing where people learned parts, were free to use a variety of musical instruments and to sing songs that were composed by modern authors as long as they were faithful to the message of Scripture. Isaac Watts, of course, was at the forefront of this movement. Most will remember him as the author of such songs as "Joy to the World," "Alas and Did My Savior Bleed" and "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross". His hymns were a large part of the "new music" being sung mostly in the city churches, but largely rejected by the churches in the smaller towns and countryside.

Now, most of that I already knew. But what I did not realize until reading Marsden's book, was that Calvinist stalwarts Cotton Mather and Increase Mather (both famous preachers of the day who pretty much defined what it meant to be theologically conservative) were on the side of the new music. And right along with them, championing the new music was a very young Jonathan Edwards (in his late 20's).

For him, it just made sense. Edwards' famous grandfather, Solomon Stoddard (whose pulpit Edwards took over in 1726) had been one of the first to introduce the "new music" into rural Massachusetts, and young Jonathan continued the reforms he began.

I think if Edwards was with us today, he'd be in the forefront of those who believe in using good contemporary music (as well as solid older hymns) to the glory of God. I don't mean the fluff. There's a lot of worthless stuff out there that isn't worthy to be used in worship - both in contemporary and traditional song books. What I mean are the solid, biblical, Christ exalting songs from every age -- whether Luther's "A Mighty Fortress" Wesley's "And Can It Be", or "In Christ Alone" or "The Power of the Cross" both by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend, or any one of a hundred other new and old songs I could mention.

The point, once again, is not "traditional" or "contemporary", but Christ honoring and biblical, verse not.

In Christ Alone, My Mighty Fortress!

Scott Lee

PS - For those interested in exploring this subject for themselves I would suggest John Frame's excellent work "Contemporary Worship Music". It's a tad bit dated now and could really use a revision, but still a good place to start. Also, Sovereign Grace Ministries (www.sovereigngraceministries.org) is a marvelous resource for well written "new" music with rock solid biblical words. So also is www.igracemusic.com

The Gospel at Christmas

“ John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
Mark 1:4

What is the message of Christmas any way? You hear lots of things about that this time of year. “Christmas is for caring” says one. “It’s gifts and presents,” says another. “No, it’s peace on earth and goodwill toward men” chimes in a third, a little closer to the truth.

But really, what is the message of Christmas all about? You ask most people and, unless they’ve just come straight from an ACLU meeting, they’ll know at least the basics – Christmas has something to do with Jesus, and God sending Him into the world as a baby, and that somehow this gift was meant to save the world. Most will know at least that much.

But again, I’ll ask, what exactly is the heart of the Christmas message? And what are we supposed to do with it, once we’ve understood it?

When it gets right down to it, the thing we need to understand is that the Christmas message is exactly the same as the message of the Gospel. There really is no difference. For Christians, Christmas is not a separate thing, tucked over in a corner of the year all by itself (even though we sometimes treat it that way). It’s not that we have this nice, sentimental little story about a baby in a manger who was visited by shepherds and wise men, and then we have this other story about a Christ who was rejected by men, crucified and then raised from the dead on the third day. It’s all part of the same wonderful story – the record of what God has done to save His people from their sin! It’s the announcement of the Good News that God saves sinners!

And so the message we need at Christmas is the same message we need to hear at Easter and every other time of year – it’s the message of repentance from sin and of faith in Christ Jesus for salvation for those who believe. It’s the good news that sinners like us can be reconciled to God and made His children and heirs, if we will turn from sin and by faith trust in His Son as Savior and Lord

My prayer for you this Christmas Season is that God will give you ears to hear the marvelous news of what he has done in sending His own Son to die in the place of sinners. And that he'll give you a heart to believe that He did this even for you -- if you will trust in Him. So that, no matter what you've done or where your life has taken you up to this point, if you will repent of your sin (which means turn away from it in order to turn to Him) and trust in Christ (believing that He is able to save even the worst of sinners and give them new life in Him) you too can be saved.

Christmas Giving

“Where your treasure is there will your heart be also”
Matthew 6:21

Giving and Christmas go together. Everybody knows that. Even before Ebenezer Scrooge got straightened out by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future and went running through the streets of London giving away his wealth, people have identified Christmas with giving. It’s in the air this time of year. There are fund raisers at work and at school, bell ringers in front of every store and shopping mall, and more than a few reminder from the pulpit.

And Americans seem to be listening. More than $260 billion will be given to charitable organizations this time of year (most of it through Christian organizations, by the way!). That’s something we should be glad about. Americans are still the most generous people on earth – and I believe God has blessed us because of it.

And yet, one thing we have to keep in mind during this time of holiday giving, is that the attitude of our hearts toward wealth is something we need to be aware of all year ‘round. Sometimes I find that, even as I’m giving to help the poor and support missions, my foolish heart can be filled with greed. Whether a desire for the latest new gadget, the shiniest jewelry or the biggest HD TV , it’s easy to become discontent with what you have and thus be tempted to give less for those in need in order to have more of what you want.

My prayer for our church --and for every Christian in the prosperous West -- is that God will continue to free us from our obsession with wealth and things that so easily captivate our souls. I pray we will refuse to give in to the thought that says, “I’ve already done enough” and instead will ask God for even greater opportunities to do more to extend His kingdom and meet the needs of those around us who are hurting.

Believers, let’s ask God to make us truly generous all year around with our time, our money and our very lives. Let's give and serve and sacrifice in a way that makes God look good (see Matthew 5:16), and in a way that will leave people no choice but to come to the astounded conclusion that having Him really is more valuable to us than having those things the people of the world live and die to possess.

Treasure Him!