Trifling with Subtleties while Ignoring Certainties: Turning the Gospel into a Gender Gospel

Charles Spurgeon began his message on the text "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins" (Hebrews 9:22) with an illustration of three fools.

The first fool, Spurgeon said, is the ship's captain who goes below deck during a ferocious storm to read an encyclopedia on the nature of Atlantic winds rather than fighting to keep his ship afloat. 

The second fool is the wounded soldier on the battlefield who asks the arriving medic all kinds of questions about the size, shape, and model of the gun that fired the bullet which wounded the soldier rather than asking the physician if he is able to heal him.

The third fool is the religious person who is constantly arguing the subtle philosophical questions about the origin and nature of evil while ignoring the clear and certain truth that Christ's blood is able to cleanse his sins (Hebrews 9:14). Spurgeon said all three fools have one thing in common: They trifle with subtleties while they ignore certainties.


I would add a fourth person to Spurgeon's list. It is that Christian leader who turns the gospel of Jesus Christ into a gender gospel.

Last week Tim Challies, pastor of Grace Fellowship Church,  wrote a blog entitled Men, Women and the Public Reading of Scripture where he defended his view that only men, and never women, can read Scripture in front of men. Challies' view on this matter is based on what he calls the simple reading of I Timothy 2:11-12. Challies writes:

"It is my conviction that these words (i.e. "I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man" I Tim. 2:11) are meant to be read and understood in the simplest sense. Speaking with God’s authority, Paul is saying that women are not to exercise teaching authority over men. In other words, it is men who are charged with authority in the church and the most important component of this authority is to declare the words of God. Men have been called to exercise headship in the home and in the church while women are called to different and complementary functions."

I am accustomed to reading such nonsensical and isolated interpretations of I Timothy 2:11-12 from fellow Bible-believing pastors and theologians and I disagree sharply with them.

However, I have not written much on the gender issue in recent months, believing as I do that the ungodly emphasis on gender distinctions within the church is destined to fail by virtue of the fact it is so anti-biblical and ultimately anti-Christian. But there was a comment in Challies' blog that caused me to flinch and placed in me a desire to write this post. 

A man in Challies' comment section wrote: God's design is for men to serve and women to receive. The comment sums up quite nicely the teaching of the false gospel that has infected some Bible-believing churches and seminaries. A reader of Dee Parson's and Wanda Martin's Wartburg Watch blog has begun calling it "the gender gospel." 

Even though I may be dangerously close to violating the biblical precept 'answer not a fool in his folly," I feel a rebuttal to Challies' position is needed because there may be few naive and biblically unknowledgeable Christians who believe the teaching that "men are to serve, teach, lead, and women are to receive, listen and follow" is really from God. Nothing could be further from God's eternal truth.  

The Absurdity of Promoting a Gender Gospel

Those who follow Challies' interpretation of I Timothy 2:11-12 are, in Spurgeon's term, "trifling with subtleties while ignoring certainties." The overwhelming New Testament teaching of the Bible regarding men and women in the church is clear and certain--"gender differences are irrelevant in the church of Jesus Christ."

Class 101 in proper hermeneutics teaches that you always interpret difficult or isolated texts based on the certain and plain teachings of the rest of the Bible. God's people in the New Covenant are called to serve based upon the giftings given them by the Holy Spirit. "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy" (Acts 2:17).

 The Apostle Paul says in Galatians 3:27-28 writes:

"All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Paul is emphatic that there is no room in the body of Jesus Christ for racial distinctions, no room for class distinctions, no room for gender distinctions. To forbid a woman to serve, read, lead, or teach (when men are present) is twisting the gospel of freedom in Christ into a gospel of bondage by gender. To restrict a Holy Spirit gifted and empowered woman from edifying other believers through the free exercise of her Spirit given gifts is to resist the Holy Spirit Himself--and qualifies as a very foolish act indeed. What is even more foolish and absurd, at least for Southern Baptists, is the fact that Condoleezza Rice, our 66th United States Secretary of State, spoke to the annual Southern Baptist Convention in 2006.

The audience, predominately Southern Baptist men, stood and applauded when Condoleezza explained how we had bombed the Taliban terrorists in Bora Bora to hell. Thank the Lord she didn't actually read a Scripture text about hell. No telling what the SBC pastors might have done had such a blasphemy occurred in their presence.

An ancient Jewish prayer from the Hebrew Siddur (prayer book) went like this: "Blessed are you, Hashem, King of the Universe, for not having made me a Gentile. Blessed are you, Hashem, King of the Universe, for not having made me a slave. Blessed are you, Hashem, King of the Universe, for not having made me a woman." "Hashem" was a Jewish name for the one true God, a name used by Jews in the days of Christ.

The same spirit ancient Jews possessed that caused them to believe that only men were created to lead, rule and serve and that women were born to receive, follow and be there for men, is the same spirit now at work in more than a few evangelical leaders. Interestingly, the rise of the Siddur coincides with the glory of God departing the Temple of Jerusalem in the days of Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 10).

Jewish Temple worship continued, but it was during this Spirit-less intertestamental time period that you have the rise of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other male-only Jewish orders that were constantly focusing on male "authority," male "leadership," and male "power." A preoccupation and fixation on authority (whether it be conservative patriarchalism or liberal feminism), is a sign that the Spirit of God has departed. Jesus Christ explicitly forbids any one individual assuming authority over other adults in the Christian community (Matthew 20:20-28).  In fact, after describing the imperialism of political rulers and the authority fixation of religious rulers, Jesus said to his disciples ... "It shall not be so among you" (Matthew 20:28).

I would propose that any portion of the body of Christ that is placing emphasis on male leadership to the exclusion of female leadership (or vice-versa) is void of the Spirit of God.

The New Testament covenant of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ totally turns the world's concept of authority on its ear. The world is concerned about position, power, authority, prestige, control, and ruling over others. Jesus Christ teaches His followers to serve, to love, to express their spiritual gifts to their fullest for the good of others, and to never fear what any person in so-called "authority" can do to them because "All authority ... has been given to Me" (Matthew 28:20). There is to be a mutual equality, respect, and submission within the home between husband and wife (Ephesians 5:21-33).

There is to be a mutual equality, respect and submission of men and women toward one another in the body of Christ based upon the gifts that the Spirit gives to each male and female believer who has been baptized into Christ (Acts 2:15-21; Galatians 3:28). References to the churches' teaching ministry and other gifts are found in Romans 12, I Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4 and not one of those passages excludes females from being recipients of any one of those gifts. Let me say that again in a different way. The gifts of the Spirit are never differentiated on the basis of gender in the New Testament -- ever.

But What About Paul's Teaching in I Timothy 2:11-12?

Any student of the Word who reads Paul's Timothy text and draws a conclusion that is contrary to the clear and certain teaching of the rest of the Bible, including Paul's other writings, is playing the fool by trifling with subtleties while ignoring certainties. "But," you shout, "These two verses tell all women everywhere to be SILENT in the presence of men, and to LEARN in SUBMISSION under them." No, kind sir, they don't. Not even close. Were that the case, these two verses would contradict everything the Apostle Paul has written in Galatians, Romans, I Corinthians, Ephesians and every other book he contributed to the New Testament, not to mention all the other books written by Peter, John, Luke, Matthew, and other early disciples of Christ. I have written a foreword to a book entitled What's With Paul and Women and would encourage you to take an afternoon to read Jon Zen's book, a detailed exposition and exegesis of these two Timothy verses. You will never again resist speaking out when you hear gender gospel preachers resist the Holy Spirit and restrict women in the home or the church by claiming for themselves ungodly positions of power and authority.

One of the advantages of being the pastor of a New Testament church where the Word of God is respected, believed, and practiced is that both men and women lead, serve, teach, and shepherd based upon their gifts. The concept of some raw position of power in "elders" is foreign to the New Testament. The word elder means "older." Look to your elders for wisdom.

The notion of some raw authority in any office of pastor or elder is foreign to the New Testament. Every believer in Christ is a priest.

 There is no need for any other mediator other than Christ. Our church has a Leadership Team composed of both men and women. I am called the Lead Pastor. There is, however, no inherent authority in me. I serve people. I love people. I lead people only if they are willing to follow--and frankly, if I do a poor job of serving and loving, they ought not to follow.

 One of these days the church of Jesus Christ is going to wake up to the fact that we have so twisted and corrupted the concept of authority and leadership that what we have abandoned the clear and certain teachings of the New Testament.

The ancient Jews kept women in the courtyard and placed a fence around the Temple grounds lest a woman feels compelled to enter the Holy Place. The sacred rituals were performed by male priests. The sacred services were led by male priests.

Modern-day conservative evangelicals and liberal feminists have absolutely violated the clear and certain teachings of Jesus Christ and seem to wish to resurrect the Old economy of Temple buildings, gender priesthoods, and religious rituals. Jesus abolished all that Old economy stuff in the New agreement. The Temple of God is no longer a building, it is the soul of a believer (see I Corinthians 6:19). The priests of God are no longer just male, they are both male and female (see Galatians 3:28). The rituals of God are no longer holy days, sacrifices, and feasts, but faith in Christ and love for God and our fellow man (see Colossians 2:16; John 13:3).

The body of Jesus Christ is to make no distinctions in race, class, and gender. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel that sets the captives free to serve as the Holy Spirit gifts. To revoke the privilege of a gifted, believing woman from reading Scripture to men is to violate the clear and certain teaching of the New Testament and risk having the legalism and religious ritualism of Spirit-less religion that marked Temple worship after the days of Ezekiel and before the launch of the New Covenant. If conservative, Bible-believing, Christ-loving, Spirit-filled, graced people do not speak out when our conservative brothers move into error on this issue, then we become enablers of God's people as they turn the powerful gospel of grace into an impotent gospel of gender. God forbid that we continue to trifle with subtleties while we ignore certainties.

Wade Burleson

P.S. It was my wife's and my privilege to meet these past few days with a couple of remarkable Christian women. Dee and Wanda of Wartburg Watch are from North Carolina. Wanda is graduated from Duke University with an English degree and Dee is a registered nurse. Both women also have an M.B.A. They are both married and have delightful adult children. Rachelle and I were thrilled to be able to spend some time with them. More than a few pastors and Christian leaders ought to listen to what they are saying.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Pressure Put Upon People to Come Forward in Decision

We are to preach the Word, and if we do it properly, there will be a call to a decision that comes in the message, and then we leave it to the Spirit to act upon people.
Early in the 1970s Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones was the speaker at a ministers’ conference in the USA and at a question session was asked the following question:

Question:  During recent years, especially in England, among evangelicals of the Reformed faith, there has been a rising criticism of the invitation system as used by Billy Graham and others. Does Scripture justify the use of such public invitations or not?

Answer:  Well, it is difficult to answer this in a brief compass without being misunderstood. Let me answer it like this:

The history of this invitation system is one with which you people ought to be more familiar than anyone else, because it began in America. It began in the 1820s; the real originator of it was Charles G. Finney. It led to a great controversy. Asahel Nettleton, a great Calvinist and successful evangelist, never issued an “altar call” nor asked people to come to the “anxious seat.” These new methods in the 182Os and were condemned for many reasons by all who took the Reformed position.

One reason is that there is no evidence that this was done in New Testament times, because then they trusted to the power of the Spirit. Peter preaching on the Day of Pentecost under the power of the Spirit, for instance, had no need to call people forward in decision because, as you remember, the people were so moved and affected by the power of the Word and Spirit that they actually interrupted the preacher, crying out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” That has been the traditional Reformed attitude towards this particular matter.

The moment you begin to introduce this other element, you are bringing a psychological element. The invitation should be in the message. We believe the Spirit applies the message, so we trust in the power of the Spirit. I personally agree with what has been said in the question.

I have never called people forward at the end for this reason; there is a grave danger of people coming forward before they are ready to come forward. We do believe in the work of the Spirit, that He convicts and converts, and He will do His work. There is a danger in bringing people to a “birth,” as it were, before they are ready for it.The Puritans in particular were afraid of what they would call “a temporary faith” or “a false profession.”

There was a great Puritan, Thomas Shepard, who published a famous series of sermons on The Ten Virgins. The great point of that book was to deal with this problem of a false profession. The foolish virgins thought they were all right. This is a very great danger. I can sum it up by putting it like this: I feel that this pressure which is put upon people to come forward in decision ultimately is due to a lack of faith in the work and operation of the Holy Spirit. We are to preach the Word, and if we do it properly, there will be a call to a decision that comes in the message, and then we leave it to the Spirit to act upon people. And of course He does.

Some may come immediately at the close of the service to see the minister. I think there should always be an indication that the minister will be glad to see anybody who wants to put questions to him or wants further help. But that is a very different thing from putting pressure upon people to come forward. I feel it is wrong to put pressure directly on the will. The order in Scripture seems to be this – the truth is presented to the mind, which moves the heart, and that in turn moves the will.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

The Case for Continuationism: Dr. Sam Storms

With permission I publish the outline of Sam Storm's Saturday morning presentation at "The Conference of the Holy Spirit" in Arlington, Texas. It is only the bare outline -- Dr. Storms fleshed it out verbally at the conference. However, the outline is good in and of itself and helpful to pastors considering the subject.

The Case for Continuationism

12 Bad Reasons for Being a Cessationist

(1) The first bad reason for being a Cessationist is an appeal to 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 on the assumption that the “perfect” is something other or less than the fullness of the eternal state ushered in at the second coming of Jesus Christ.

(2) Another bad or illegitimate reason for being a Cessationist is the belief that signs and wonders as well as certain spiritual gifts served only to confirm or authenticate the original company of apostles and that when the apostles passed away so also did the gifts.

(a) No biblical text ever says that signs and wonders or spiritual gifts of a particular sort authenticated the apostles. Signs and wonders authenticated Jesus and the apostolic message about him. If signs and wonders were designed exclusively to authenticate apostles, why were non-apostolic believers (such as Philip and Stephen) empowered to perform them?

(b) This is a good reason for being a Cessationist only if you can demonstrate that authentication or attestation of the apostolic message was the sole and exclusive purpose of such displays of divine power. However, nowhere in the NT is the purpose/function of the miraculous or the charismata reduced to that of attestation.

(3) A third bad reason for being a Cessationist is the belief that since we now have the completed canon of Scripture we no longer need the operation of so-called miraculous gifts.

(4) A fourth bad reason for being a Cessationist is the belief that to embrace the validity of all spiritual gifts today requires that one embrace classical Pentecostalism and its belief in Spirit-baptism as separate from and subsequent to conversion, as well as their doctrine that speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence of having experienced this Spirit-baptism.

(5) Another bad reason for being a Cessationist is the idea that if one spiritual gift, such as apostleship, has ceased to be operative in the church that other, and perhaps all, miraculous gifts have ceased to be operative in the church.

(6) A sixth bad reason for being a Cessationist is the fear that to acknowledge the validity today of revelatory gifts such as prophecy and word of knowledge would necessarily undermine the finality and sufficiency of Holy Scripture.

(7) A seventh bad reason for being a Cessationist is the appeal to Ephesians 2:20 on the assumption that revelatory gifts such as prophecy were uniquely linked to the apostles and therefore designed to function only during the so-called foundational period in the early church.

(8) An eighth bad reason for being a Cessationist is the argument that since we typically don’t see today miracles or gifts equal in quality/intensity to those in the ministries of Jesus and the Apostles, God doesn’t intend for any miraculous gifts of a lesser quality/intensity to operate in the church among ordinary Christians (but cf. 1 Cor. 12-14; Rom. 12; 1 Thess. 5:19-22; James 5).

(9) A ninth bad reason for being a Cessationist is the so-called “cluster” argument.

(10) A tenth bad reason for being a Cessationist is the appeal to the alleged absence of miraculous gifts in church history subsequent to the first century.

(11) Eleventh, it is a bad reason to be a Cessationist because of the absence of good experiences with spiritual gifts and the often fanatical excess of certain TV evangelists and some of those involved in the Word of Faith or Prosperity Gospel movements (as well as the anti-intellectualism often found in those movements).

(12) Finally, a twelfth bad reason for being a Cessationist is fear of what embracing Continuationism might entail for your life personally and the well-being of your church corporately.

12 Good Reasons for Being a Continuationist

(1) The first good reason for being a Continuationist is the 12 bad reasons for being a Cessationist.

(2) A second good reason for being a Continuationist is the consistent, indeed pervasive, and altogether positive presence throughout the NT of all spiritual gifts.

(3) A third good reason for being a Continuationist is the extensive NT evidence of the operation of so-called miraculous gifts among Christians who are not apostles. In other words, numerous non-apostolic men and women, young and old, across the breadth of the Roman Empire consistently exercised these gifts of the Spirit (and Stephen and Philip ministered in the power of signs and wonders).

(4) A fourth good reason for being a Continuationist is the explicit and oft-repeated purpose of the charismata: namely, the edification of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:7; 14:3,26).

(5) The fifth good reason for being a Continuationist is the fundamental continuity or spiritually organic relationship between the church in Acts and the church in subsequent centuries.

(6) Very much related to the fifth point, a sixth good reason for being a Continuationist is because of what Peter (Luke) says in Acts 2 concerning the operation of so-called miraculous gifts as characteristic of the New Covenant age of the Church.

(7) The seventh good reason for being a Continuationist is 1 Corinthians 13:8-12.

(8) The eighth good reason for being a Continuationist is Ephesians 4:11-13.

(9) A ninth good reason for being a Continuationist is the description in Revelation 11 of the ministry of the Two Witnesses.

(10) A tenth good reason for being a Continuationist is because the Holy Spirit in Christ is the Holy Spirit in Christians. We are indwelt, anointed, filled, and empowered by the same Spirit as was Jesus. His ministry is (with certain obvious limitations) the model for our ministry (cf. Acts 10:38).

(11) An eleventh reason to be a Continuationist is the absence of any explicit or implicit notion that we should view spiritual gifts any differently than we do other NT practices and ministries that are portrayed as essential for the life and well-being of the Church.

(12) The twelfth and final good reason for being a Continuationist is the testimony throughout most of church history concerning the operation of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit.

[Although it is technically not a reason or argument for being a Continuationist like the previous twelve, I cannot ignore personal experience. The fact is that I’ve seen all spiritual gifts in operation, tested and confirmed them, and experienced them first-hand on countless occasions. As stated, this is less a reason to become a Continuationist and more a confirmation (although not an infallible one) of the validity of that decision. Experience, in isolation from the biblical text, proves little. But experience must be noted, especially if it illustrates or embodies what we see in the biblical text.]

For more information on this and various other theological and biblical studies see www.samstorms.com

The Baptist Conference on the Holy Spirit

I had intended to blog about The Conference on the Holy Spirit earlier this weekend, but my schedule has been full and this is the first time I had the opportunity to sit down at the computer in the hotel room and write down some thoughts about my impressions of the conference.

First, the host church and pastor Dwight McKissic have done a wonderful job of preparations and hosting. There are a large number of volunteers who have made everything very smooth for all the participants and speakers, including all the meals.

Friday morning and afternoon we had the "Pastor's Roundtable" which was a carry over from our first meeting at Cornerstone last year. Dwight McKissic and Ben Cole spoke and both did an outstanding job. Both men are always very well prepared and accomplished speakers. Dwight's sermon was entitled "The Road from Babel to Pentecost" and he showed how God reversed all the negative things that happened at Babel by pouring out his Spirit at Pentecost. Ben spoke of walls being broken down at Pentecost, including the walls of national identity, racial segregation, and testamental divisions. There was a robust discussion on both messages as we enjoyed lunch around the tables. The afternoon offered us an opportunity to hear a testimony and challenge from Art Rogers and messages from Ralph W. Emerson and another guest pastor friend of Dwight's. I enjoyed all the speakers and the discussion that followed.

Friday night's service was three and a half hours long, but the time passed quickly. I always enjoy the worship when led by Daniel Brymer and both Gary Smith and Denny Davis, pastors from two of the largest Baptist churches in the metroplex did a great job on the role of the Holy Spirit in Church Growth and Kingdom Growth. I enjoyed preaching to a very responsive crowd on the role of the Holy Spirit in the Great Commission.

Saturday was a very long day, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and going until 9:30 p.m. that night. However, I learned a great deal from every one of the speakers. I enjoyed meeting and visiting with Bart Barber and appreciated his lecture on the cessationist viewpoint from a historical perspective, and Robin Foster presented his subject matter in a very humble attitude. Both men were in the minority in their positions, but I really appreciate the spirit they displayed today of accepting those brothers who disagreed. I also enjoyed the presentations of Alan Cross on continuationsim, particularly the way in which Alan is matter of fact about the Sciptures approach to the gifts, but it is evident Alan's emphasis in life and ministry is on Christ. I met for the first time Dr. Boyd Luter, former dean of Criswell College and now a pastor in Texas. His presentation on cooperation within the SBC between people with differing views on the gifts is absolutely must hearing for leadership within the SBC. I have received permission to post his lecture and plan on doing so sometime next week.

Saturday night Sam Storms and Daniel Brymer did a great job leading us in teaching and worship respectively. I don't think I have ever heard a clearer presentation on the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer than that presented by Sam. He is a theologian par excellence and I learned a great deal Saturday night. He was the only preacher and as far as I was concerned he could have continued for hours.

This morning, Sunday morning, I will be preaching at Cornerstone at 7:30 a.m. and Sam will be preaching at 10:00 a.m. I will be heading back to Enid after the morning service to be present for our evening service in Enid.

All in all I really enjoyed the weekend. I met a lot of new friends and enjoyed the fellowship with people from all over the SBC. I was also greatly encouraged by what I heard from people on both sides of the issue. Everyone displayed a Christian spirit. Everyone mentioned the necessity to continue in cooperation for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Our convention could learn a great deal from studying the model at this conference at Cornerstone.

There's room in ministry and leadership of the SBC for people with differing views on the gifts, and NOBODY should desire to exclude people from EITHER side.

In His Grace,


Wade

The Conference On The Holy Spirit: Arlington, TX

I will be traveling today to Arlington, Texas for The Conference On the Holy Spirit at Cornerstone Baptist Church. Let me encourage you if you are within driving distance to come and participate with the six hundred day registrants and the hundreds more who will attend the open plenary sessions Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday morning. I will post my reflections on the conference each night. The schedule for the conference is as follows:

Host Pastors’ Roundtable
Friday, April 27
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
JE & Joel Worship Leaders
Ralph Emerson Roundtable Speaker
The Role of the Holy Spirit in Church Revitalization
Robert Fowler Roundtable Speaker
The Role of the Holy Spirit in Preaching

_____________________________

Friday, April 27, 2007
Evening Sessions
7:00 p.m.
Gary Smith The Person & Ministry of the Holy Spirit
Wade Burleson The Role of the Holy Spirit in the
Great Commission
Denny Davis The Role of the Holy Spirit in Church Growth
Vicki Yohe Special Music
St. John Baptist Church Choir
Fielder Road Baptist Church Choir
Daniel Brymer Worship

______________________________


Saturday, April 28, 2007
Morning Sessions
9:00 am.

Daniel Brymer Worship Leader
Robert Fowler The Holy Spirit – Topic of Choice
Bart Barber Plenary Session:
The Cessasionist/Semi-cessasionist Viewpoint
Sam Storms Plenary Session:
The Continualist Viewpoint

Conference Panel
11:00 a.m.
Ben Cole - Panel Host
Panelists:
Wade Burleson ,Robert Fowler, Sam Storms, Dwight McKissic, Robert Foster, Alan Cross, Bart Barber,Boyd Luter

________________________________

Dwight McKissic Saturday Luncheon: 12:30 p.m.
The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Sandy Creek-Charlestonian Tradition

________________________________

Afternoon Session
Times to be Announced

Boyd Luter Can Continualists & Cessasionists Co-exist
In The Same Church?

Robin Foster
The Cessasionist/Semi-Cessasionist Viewpoint
of Spiritual Gifts

Alan Cross
Defining and Defending the Continualist Position

Daniel Brymer & Joel McCray
Worshiping In The Spirit 2

Dwight McKissic
Praying in the Spirit

___________________________________

Saturday, April 28, 2007
Evening Sessions
7:00 p.m.
Sam Storms The Role of Holy Spirit in Worship
Vicki Yohe Special Music
Daniel Brymer Worship Leader
Choir Cornerstone Baptist Church Mass Choir
Choir Cornerstone Baptist Church Children’s Choir

________________________________

Sunday, April 29, 2007
Early Morning Service
7:30 a.m.
Wade Burleson Walking Worthy of Your Calling

Morning Service
10:00 a.m.
Sam Storms The Role of the Holy Spirit in Prayer
Daniel Brymer Worship Leader

A Conference on the Spirit You'll Never Forget

On April 27-29, 2007, a Friday through Sunday, the Cornerstone Baptist Church of Arlington, Texas will host A Baptist Conference on The Holy Spirit. The purpose of this conference is to explore and examine the unity and diversity in Baptist life as it relates to the Holy Spirit and His gifts and to become more intimately acquainted with Him through worship and the study of God’s Word. This unique conference is designed to gather Baptist and evangelicals to learn more about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and to experience the person and power of the Holy Spirit, as we worship and study God’s Word together in “spirit and in truth.”

There will be several keynote speakers including one of my favorite Southern Baptists teachers and theologians of all time, Dr. Sam Storms. Complete information about the conference can be found here. I would encourage you to make plans to attend. Rachelle and I are looking forward to staying through Sunday, and I anticipate that, unlike some conferences on the Holy Spirit I have attended, we will not just hear about Him, we will experience His presence.

Let me show you what I mean.

One of the lead worship leaders for this conference is a man by the name of Daniel Brymer. We have had the pleasure of Daniel leading in worship at Emmanuel during a Bible Conference with Sam Storms. For the first time that I can recall, our church experienced what others would term 'prophetic singing.' This occurs during a time the worship time when a leader of the worship is inspired to begin singing a song of worship that is neither written or prepared ahead of time. The song "My Word Is Sure" is a prophetic song sung during a worship time led by Daniel Brymer. Click on the link and listen to it. It is quite moving, and remember, it is sung during the worship service with no preparation. Nobody had even heard the song before, including the singer and the musicians.

This next song, "Let Your Healing Flow," is written by Daniel Brymer and is being used by God around the world to minister to people the grace and love of Jesus Christ. I like Daniel Brymer because he is Baptist in his beliefs and adheres to sovereign grace, but more important he is a very humble man. One of our Southern Baptist churches asked him recently to be their senior pastor, but Daniel feels called to an intinerate worship ministry. He will be leading us in worship at Arlington.

These are the kinds of people who will be at A Baptist Conference on the Holy Spirit in Arlingon, Texas this April 27-29. We will be joined by hundreds from Dwight McKissic's church as well, and I would anticipate that it will be a weekend you will never forget.

I hope to see you there.