I didn't preach a Mother's Day sermon today. I mean, it was Mother's Day and I preached a sermon. But it wasn't your prototypical "Mother's Day Sermon".
We had two young girls come forth last week after services desiring to be baptized. They'd been "pestering" their parents and grandparents for a while about it. You may think it odd, but their parents put them off a few weeks. In this age of decisionism, easy believism and false professions, they just wanted to make sure. I'm thankful to pastor folks that care enough about new converts to at least find some evidence of salvation. While many professing Christians are trusting in a repeated prayer or a decision or water baptism or their own works, we want to make sure new converts trust in Christ alone (cue Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend).
Today, we fulfilled the wishes of these two young converts and baptized them before a group of witnesses - church members, regular guest attenders and a host of family to support them. It was a wonderful event. I preached on "Don't Waste Your Youth". I wanted to encourage them to endure for the cause of Christ. I wanted to make sure I encouraged them to live out the profession that was their baptism. If nobody else was encouraged today (though I couldn't imagine anybody wouldn't be), this pastor was. I'm full of joy unspeakable and full of glory. It's just amazing to be the instrument through which God worked - in preaching the Gospel through which He saves sinners. And to see He is still in the saving business encourages me to keep on preaching and teaching. I thank Him for all He has done.
One of the things our church has always done is to give Bibles to new members. We, as a church, believe this is important. God's people need God's Word. You simply cannot serve a God you don't know. And, if you are trying to serve God apart from reading His Word daily, you are going to fall flat on your face again and again. It simply cannot be done. "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). You wanna be a "complete" Christian? Study God's Word. You wanna be "equipped for every good work"? Study God's Word. I was so happy to watch these two young girls following along in their new Bibles as I read from Ecclesiastes 12:1 today - "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, 'I have no pleasure in them'".
I'd be lying if I didn't say I was on a high leaving church today. This is the second week in a row our baptistry has been full of water. I cannot tell you how long it's been since that happened. I don't know that it's ever happened before, honestly. Last week I baptized one of the sweetest young mothers I've ever met...this week, two young girls that I've watched grow up. I was on cloud nine. I have witnessed the grace of God in action. I have watched God take His Word and apply it to people's hearts. I have watched people with the assurance of the message of Christ live out that faith with conviction (Hebrews 11:1). I honestly hated to leave church. But even when Wendy and I got in the car, we were rejoicing in God's goodness. There was a moment - just a second there - where it felt like every person under Heaven must be rejoicing with me. But that didn't last long.
We hadn't so much as pulled out of the driveway of the church before I saw folks out working in their yards. They'd clearly been out there all day. I saw bass boats coming back from the lake. I saw scores of people that clearly had no care for the things of God. In no way do I mean to imply that I am somehow better than any of these people. With Paul I say, "...by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Corinthians 15:10). I'm not boasting. I'd have no desire for God had He not reached down and drawn me to Him (John 6:44). But still, it was disappointing to be on such a high only to be reminded minutes later that we are not living in a Christian society.
Alabama is supposed to be the Bible Belt...supposed to be. It's not. If it ever was, it's been a long time. There are FAR more people out of church weekly than there are in it. And without a doubt, even many that go aren't there for the right reason. Our society is in a mess and we see the results of it all around us every single day. As I'm rejoicing of God's grace towards these two young girls, the majority of people really don't seem to care - not about their soul and not about anybody else's. It's the scary truth.
While these two young girls have two new Bibles to read, there is a "famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord" (Amos 8:11). We truly have more access to the Word of God than ever. And yet, we seem to have less concern about it than we've ever had. Even in churches, it's rare to find congregations studying God's Word expositionally. It's a rare thing to find an assembly that takes God's Word chapter by chapter...verse by verse...to find out what He has to tell us. There's a famine "of hearing the words of the Lord". But sadly, this is not only the case outside of churches, but often inside of churches. We need to correct this. Eternity depends on it.
Yes, my heart was overjoyed today to watch God at work in the hearts of His people. And yet, my heart is saddened as I see a lost and dying world around me. Oh that God would grant revival to our land! Oh that we would mourn for the lost!! Oh that we would share the remedy for the sin epidemic around us!!! Oh that we would share the message of Jesus Christ dying, being buried and rising from the grave in the place of sinners!!!! And may God be pleased to use that message to save those that believe (Romans 1:16).