One More Reason Joseph Smith is a False Prophet

It occurred to me this evening, as I was having a discussion with some Mormons, that one of the qualifications for elders and deacons in the church is that a man must be “a husband of one wife” (1 Tim 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6). This disqualifies Smith and most of the early Mormon leaders from being considered apostles, since they were polygamists and could not have even been a deacon or elder. How can one who is unable to be a deacon be considered an apostle? He can’t. End of story.

Questions for Contemplation

What are you living for and is it showing? Is it worth living for? Is there something better?

Are you living for an idol? Are you living for your own consumption? Measuring your life by how much you can get?

Are you living for your own glory? Or are you living for the unsurpassed glory of the King of kings? Does it show?

Are We Asking All the Wrong Questions?

Dr. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which I attend gave a speech last week on the future of the Southern Baptist Convention. He compared the SBC to shopping malls and General Motors, pointing out that each have gone from cutting edge business models, to being a thing of the past. GM is the largest corporate bankruptcy in history and there hasn’t been a shopping mall built in this country in 3-4 years.

This week, Dr. Mohler met with several other representatives of the SBC on the newly commissioned Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. The aim is to discover what changes can be made to the SBC to allow our churches to be effective in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with the world. The Task Force is asking questions, probing for answers, and attempting to leave no stone unturned.

I wonder in all this, if the answer is not right under our noses? I wonder if perhaps we are not getting the answers because for too long we haven’t been asking the right questions? Are we asking all the wrong questions?

Dr. Mohler posted to his Facebook status yesterday from the GCR luncheon,

Thinking big thoughts, hearing good discussion, and watching rain fall outside.

I wonder if our “big thoughts” are not themselves the problem. Have we gone too long attempting big thoughts of our own significance? Should we not think small, seemingly insignificant, foolish, Christ-like thoughts? Is it possible that our problem is not the ability to be something great, but our willingness to be small?

As I followed the GCR luncheon on the Florida Baptist Witness website, someone pointed out the lack of pastors/representatives from small churches on the Task Force. I will venture to guess that this is precisely our problem. We have become so enamored with our big churches; with their budgets and massive sanctuaries and flat screen televisions and mega sound systems. Have we forgotten that the gospel requires none of this? Have we forgotten that the church has nothing to do with any of this? That the church is life-on-life being poured out and ground up together?

We want to be more effective with the gospel. We want the Church of our Lord Jesus to grow, but it’s going to have to get smaller before it gets bigger. It’s going to take giving the pastor with 20 sheep a seat at the table with the super-shepherds. We may actually find that his sheep aren’t dying of starvation and getting carried off by wolves. It’s going to take giving the younger generation a seat at the table; and I’m not talking about the seminary student wearing a suit following his professors around. I’m talking about the student in shorts and a t-shirt who wants nothing to do with SBC politics; the guy who would be more comfortable with John the Baptist than with most pastors. Ask him and you may find your answers.

I can guarantee one thing: this is going to be painful. If it’s not, then we haven’t actually accomplished anything worthwhile! It will destroy many of our assumptions and sacred cows. We have to stop buying the lie that numbers equal success; that a growing church is a healthy church. It may take – heaven forbid - axing the Cooperative Program, the Executive Committee, or even convention meetings. We may have to tear down some high places and desecrate some altars. We may have to drink a glass of wine, dance, sell our buildings, talk about sex, drive a Chevy clunker, trade in the Cadillac, and get to know a gay neighbor.

Are we willing to ask the right questions? And are we willing to take the answers and act? Or will we continue with the same people asking the same questions and pretend we’re accomplishing something?