by Brian Hobbs | Sep 20, 2018
More than 30 years ago, an editorial in the Baptist Messenger called Oklahoma a “hot spot” for gambling because our state then had more than 20 casinos. Fast forward to today, according to the latest numbers, Oklahoma now has more than 100 casinos and is undeniably a “hot spot” for gambling.
During that same time period, Oklahoma has seen a decline in overall church attendance, at least among Southern Baptists in Oklahoma. According to a 2017 statistic from Chris Forbes, a church planting expert, only 40 percent of Oklahomans are considered “churched.” That means that 60 percent of people are de-churched, unaffiliated or part of another religion besides Christianity.
With casinos booming and church life declining, it’s worth stopping to ask the question, “Why do people gamble in the first place?” A recent article talked about the psychology behind gambling.
While the immediate reason is obvious—people want to get more money quickly and easily—the article gave other reasons, including people’s desire to escape, to do something they view as glamorous or just for social interaction.
Some of the longings casino gambling promises to fulfill are actually heart longings that can only be fulfilled with life with Jesus Christ and in His Church.
While TV commercials depict people at casinos having a blast, the more accurate depiction may be that of a chain-smoking, lonely person pumping money into a slot machine for hours on end.
Even for those who do get social interaction at casinos, it would not be the kind of deep community that you find in the Body of Christ. The empty entertainment people find at casinos has no telos, or end purpose. In church life, though, we discover that life is primarily designed for service in God’s Kingdom (Mark 10:45), through which we find ultimate fulfillment.
While Christians should not stand with our arms folded, with judgmental looks toward those flocking to casinos these days, we do stand ready to point them to a better way. That is the Way of abundant life found in Jesus Christ (John 10:10). And that’s the Way that always pays off in the end.
by Brian Hobbs | Aug 22, 2018
They are usually the subject of countless church-related jokes. They are certainly not as talked about as church elders these days. But these men do serve an important biblical role in the church.
I’m talking about deacons.
If you were to ask the average person what a deacon’s job is, you are likely to get a blank stare. You might hear things like this: “They pass the offering plate,” or “They run church business meetings.” Or, “They prepare and serve the elements during the Lord’s Supper.”
While these are likely true, deacons also can do much more than these things. In a recent podcast interview with Russell Cook, who is a director of missions in Oklahoma, we discussed the role of deacon in church life in Bible times and today.
Dr. Cook, in his trilogy of books about deacon ministry, eloquently discussed the “why”—or the purpose—of deacons.
He said, “Whether you are in a new church or a more established one, if you have a congregation, you have a growing need for more servants. You need others to help you. Yet you may not know where to start or how to proceed with identifying, enlisting, equipping and engaging servant-leaders for your church. In (this book on deacons), you will find the help you need.
“It is not God’s intention that a pastor and one or two other leaders perform all needed ministry. This is akin to what God intended for the Apostles in Acts 6, when they had become overwhelmed with the ministry needs of a multiplying church. This book details how to find the kind of men described in Acts 6—not only find them but identify them by their reputation, character qualities and servant hearts. This is a process that can be undertaken by any church that sees the need and has a desire to follow clear, scripturally-based guidelines.”
I can highly recommend these books, which fill a topical niche that few other books address.
At my home church, our deacons serve the widows and widowers of our church in times of peace and of great distress (James 1:27). We also are expected to be the first to volunteer for any need that arises, as well as help with outreach, the prayer ministry and other activities. From large congregations to small, we see that deacons can and should play a vital and helpful role.
What’s a deacon to do? It all comes down to service. We are here to serve, and by God’s grace, we deacons will serve faithfully during all the days the Lord gives us.
by Brian Hobbs | Jul 26, 2018
I sometimes hear people say the one thing they won’t ask God to give them is more patience. The reason they cite is not that they don’t want this biblical virtue. It’s that they dread the process of God answering their prayer.
In other words, they fear what God will do to them to stretch them into a more patient person. Sometimes I think the Lord sends us a thorn in the flesh or difficult people or many red traffic lights to teach us more patience.
As modern Americans, we live in an instantaneous society. From high-speed vehicles to high-speed Internet, we expect things fast. This means our threshold for patience can be diminished easily, if we are not careful.
I confess this: I have noticed lately that my patience level is becoming lower. From waiting in lines to interacting with my own children, I have found I become more irritable more quickly these days, and this can be partly attributed to impatience.
This is not good for a number of reasons. The Bible, and Proverbs in particular, views patience as a central virtue. Consider these verses.
- “Patience is better than power, and controlling one’s temper, than capturing a city” 16:32.
- “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense” Prov. 19:11.
- “Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly” Prov. 14:29.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul begins his famous exposition on love by saying, “love is patient…” (1 Cor. 13:4). Of all the ways love is shown, patience comes first and foremost. In his Epistle to the Galatians, Paul even lists patience as a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).
All this means that Christians must, by the grace of God, do more to cultivate patience. Having patience is difficult. And yes, asking God for patience is risky.
But living without it is, in the end, harder and riskier.
Lord, please give me more patience today…
by Brian Hobbs | Jul 18, 2018
Summer time in church life means children at Vacation Bible School and youth at Christian camps. From preschoolers to high schoolers, students across Oklahoma and the nation are hearing the Gospel.
In Oklahoma, because of strong camps and VBS programs, we are blessed to see a move of God, where in thousands make spiritual decisions. It is exiting to think about all the children and students who are understanding, some for the very first time, the “ABCs” of salvation. What do we mean by ABCs? According to LifeWay:
A-Admit to God you are a sinner;
B-Believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and receive Jesus’ gift of forgiveness from sin; and
C-Confess your faith in Jesus Christ and Savior and Lord.
This ABCs of salvation has helped countless boys and girls understand the path to eternal life. Without taking anything away from this, I think we could add one thing to this step-by-step list. And it starts with the letter D.
We should “dunk” them (i.e. baptism) and put them on the path of discipleship. A reading of the New Testament shows that every new believer was baptized as the first step of obedience in following Christ.
Fortunately, gone are the days of “easy believism” or “treat-them-and-street-them” approaches to evangelism. At the same time, we sometimes forget in our evangelism efforts to spell out the importance of baptism and discipleship.
In Christian theology, we understand that we are justified “by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone” (Rom. 5:1, Eph. 2:8-9). We also understand that while eternal life and salvation—that is new birth—is imparted in a moment, our Christian walk lasts for life and into eternity.
The salvation that Christ offers justifies us, sanctifies us and glorifies us. Baptist would do well to remind children and youth—and ourselves—that salvation is ABCs, and it is also A through Z, to borrow a phrase.
This summer, as we have opportunity to proclaim the Gospel, let’s also proclaim what comes next after we believe.
by Brian Hobbs | Jun 28, 2018
If you’re an Oklahoma City Thunder fan, I know what you have been thinking about this week. Will Thunder Star Paul George—affectionately nicknamed “PG-13”—stay or go during the free agency season?
I have been thinking a lot about PG-13 myself lately. No, not the NBA star, but about the MPAA movie rating of PG-13. Now that I have a child older than 13, she has asked to be able to watch certain movies that fall in this rating.
I recently looked up what the MPAA says about PG-13 movies: “Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious. Some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers.”
While I strongly disagree with many of the movie ratings the MPAA has given, I actually like this definition in the abstract. I like it because it puts the onus on parents to exercise caution.
These days, a movie could contain terrible language, sexuality, even nudity, and still be marked as PG-13 and thereby marketed to 13 year-olds. That’s a major problem.
That is why parents must go beyond the simple MPAA rating. One helpful source I use is “Plugged In” online, which reviews movies from a family perspective. The second comes from Word Slingers’ blogger Michael Foust, whose insightful movie reviews each week go beyond mere content warnings to help parents and others grapple with the latest blockbuster movies.
Whether it’s the latest Marvel movie or romantic comedy, even if it’s rated PG-13, don’t assume you can safely take your teen or even yourself to see it. Take time to read what Plugged In, Michael Foust or another reliable source has to say.
After all, Christians are told to guard our hearts above all (Prov. 4:23), and that includes what movies we see.
There! Now that I’ve said my peace about movie ratings, I’d better go back to incessantly checking Twitter to see if there’s any news on the other PG-13. Go Thunder!