I read an article concerning a financial difficulty in the Southern Baptist Convention due to several
lawsuits regarding the Convention’s handling of sexual abuse claims.  The primary, and most expensive,
suit was bought by Johnny Hunt, a well known and respected SBC pastor, speaker, and personality.  I
mention that because his action wasn’t taken because he was a sexual abuse survivor but because he
was accused of sexual abuse and the Convention took certain actions because of that allegation. 
There are, indeed, several lawsuits on behalf of sexual abuse survivors alleging cover ups of their horrific
stories by leadership in the Convention and an SBC seminary.  Should that be proven true…and I’m
afraid it looks pretty bad for those accused…they should be dealt with seriously and the victims find
closure in the outcomes.
However, when the secular media reports on the series of events that led up to all this, they never fail to
blow it out of proportion and insinuate things that are just not true.  For instance, there is much talk
about a “secret list” of over 700 predators in local churches. They insinuate that the Convention had a
list of known offenders and tried to cover for them as they were moving amongst the churches.  Nothing
could be further from the truth! The list did exist, but it was a list of those who were credibly accused,
prosecuted, and convicted.  The list was gleaned from local, public sources and only a “handful” (as one
article put it) were still involved in churches and the majority of those were involved in other
denominations where their sexual history was not known.  
In addition to that, the incidents of 700 sexual abuse situations…again, that were known and
prosecuted, occurred over a period of 22 years in a group comprised of over 47,000 churches.  I can’t
see where that constitutes a “crisis”.  But it sure makes for great headlines, doesn’t it?  Added to that,
though, is the fact that the U.S. Justice Department just finished an in-depth investigation of the SBC
looking for sexual abuse charges and found none. Zero. Nada. Does that sound like a crisis to you?
The stories all suggest that, because we are a group of autonomous churches, cooperating, but with no
hierarchy to report to or to keep us in line, we are enabled to keep sexual predators on staff with no
accountability. One reporter spoke of our “wild, wild, west” system of inadequate information of
ordination and the manner in which we call pastors and other staff. Churches are called to be diligent
and smart when it comes to staff and volunteers.  At Church on the Bluff we do background checks on
anyone who works on staff…as well as every volunteer who works with kids. 
Here are some die-hard facts:  Southern Baptist churches are not harboring sex offenders.  We do not
knowingly transfer pastors or staff who are sexual predators to other churches or recommend them to
our affiliated entities. The so-called “secret list” was not meant to cover up anything or protect anyone.
And last, but not least, our structure of autonomy for individual churches who band together to
promote missions is an awesome, God-blessed method of cooperation.
Say good things about your Savior.

With the advent of social media, instant communication, access to information, and the like, scams have
become more frequent. I got a text from a group calling themselves a toll roads evasion team. The text
said I have an unpaid toll bill. The main problem with that is the fact that I haven’t been on a toll road in
over 20 years… probably longer. I just deleted it and went on with my day. But someone tried to steal
money from me. Honestly, I’m not surprised but I often wonder how people live with themselves with a
lifestyle like that.

But I still consider scammers to be of the lowest moral level of people. It’s stealing by deception, but it
is still stealing. And they tend to prey on older folks (like me). One level lower than normal scammers is
those who scam people in the name of God. When I think about them, I better understand Jesus turning
over those tables. Profiting on taking advantage of those who seek the Lord is a disgusting thing. Here’s
what Jesus said: “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for
him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
Matthew‬ 18:6.

Again, with the ability to communicate across the world, the religious scammers have grown in number.
They preach a “prosperity gospel” that has nothing to do with the true Gospel. The message that God
wants you to prosper materially (and if you don’t…it’s your lack of faith) is an affront to the entire Bible
and a stain on Christianity. These “pastors” live in multi-million-dollar homes and tell you that you can
too…if you send them enough money. Some can even heal you from various ailments…if you can afford
it.

He didn’t come so that a Christian can have a new car or a swimming pool. He didn’t come so that
those who love Him can have a life of ease and excess. He didn’t come so that His followers could claim
His power for personal riches. Make no mistake about it, Jesus came to seek and to save those who are
lost. That’s the Gospel. Shame on those who deceive people in the name of the Lord.

Growing up, I liked watching science fiction movies and many of those movies assumed there were,
indeed, beings on other planets.  The vast majority pictured those life forms as being in many “un-
human” shapes.  Some looked like walking lizards, some like an octopus, most had big eyes and large
heads, and some were even blobs of a jelly-like substance. Most were malevolent creatures bent on our
destruction.

But it is an interesting question when we consider the possibility of life on other planets.  Is there? And if
so, what does it do to our Christians beliefs?  Are there other gods of other plants with life? NASA says
there are over 3,200 stars with planets orbiting them. So is there a planet with life in every configuration
like that?  Questions, questions, questions.

I believe the answer lies in scripture.  The Bible tells us that Jehovah God created, and numbered every
star in the universe.  It goes on to say that He is the only God. That answers the question of how many
gods are there if…if…there was life on other planets…right? One God created the universe.

But, did God create life on other planets? I don’t know.  No one knows. I don’t believe anyone will ever
know.  But I do know this:  if God created life on other planets the method of salvation would be the
same.  God’s expectations of His other creatures would be the same. All of that because God never
changes.  His character never changes, His purpose never changes, and His nature never changes. 
So…there would even be Christians on other planets.

It would not affect my beliefs, my faith, nor my relationship with God through the blood of Christ. So
why worry about it?  We have enough to do in the here and now on this planet.  We are to live to please
the one true God who created everything and sustains all that He created.  We are to share the Gospel,
the one true God’s only plan of salvation. Did God populate other planets? Whether or not He did? 
More important questions:  have you been saved by the blood of Christ and do you live out your
salvation in obedience to the only God?

Say good things about your Savior

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there
male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29 NIV

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened
again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 NIV
 
In the book of Galatians Paul is writing to the church because some folks have come into the church
teaching that, even after salvation through the blood of Christ, people still had to live by the “law”. That
included all the Old Covenant laws up to, and including, circumcision. Paul called living by the law “a
yoke of slavery”. Some have tried to say he was talking about being a slave to sin. But if you read it in
context, you understand that he was speaking of being a slave to the law. He even said that if you tried
living by the law you would constantly be alienated from Christ: “You who are trying to be justified by
the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” Galatians 5:4 NIV
 
Yet, we still argue among ourselves about which festivals and Jewish celebrations we should observe.
We still have to defend what day we celebrate as the Sabbath. The Gospel is so simple that it is difficult
to accept in its simplicity. We, in our human nature, still want to set rules and regulations in order to
measure our righteousness (and to measure other’s righteousness).
 
The scripture doesn’t say “believe in the Lord Jesus, keep the festivals, wash your hands in a certain way,
give God Saturday, and you will be saved”. Jesus simply told us that we are to love the Lord with all our
heart and love our neighbor as our self. That’s the lifestyle we are called to live when we are endowed
with the Holy Spirit at salvation. Yes, it’s that simple.
 
Say good things about your Savior.

Do you remember the Y2K scare? As our calendar rolled over from 1999 to the year 2000, there
was going to be a total shutdown of computers and everything that was dependent on
computers. It was going to be a dangerous time. There were conferences and meetings on how
to prepare for the apocalypse that was to come. People were told to build up their food stores
and buy weapons to protect what they had. Many people were frightened. But why?
First of all, because the scenario was possible. It made sense too many that there could be a
glitch when the computers tried to roll over into a year for which they were not prepared. We
were, after all, in the very early stages of computers. But secondly, and I think more importantly,
there were people ready to fan the flames of hysteria for their own purposes, usually money, but
fame and notoriety was also present. Politicians also got involved, somewhat, if there was a
chance to score some points.
That was 25 years ago. Yep … 25. Do you feel older now? But the matter of fact
is that we haven’t grown much wiser, if any, when it comes to panicking. This event or that
event signals the coming of our Lord, this bill or that bill, passed through Congress, will shut
down churches and penalize Christians. It seems to always be something. Let me calm things
down a little.
God is still on His throne. Not a day, event, or action is catching Him by surprise. If government
puts its heel on the neck of Christianity, God is still on His throne. If Jesus comes back
tomorrow, God is still on His throne (and what a glorious day it will be for Christians). You see,
the trick to that “peace that passes all understanding” is to trust in God, be prepared as you
study His Word, and live a life of obedience. Then there is nothing to fear, nothing to be anxious
about. God bless you and keep you!
Say good things about your Savior
Bro. Tony

It amuses me that the weather forecast has become as important as it has. A lot of us look at it several times a day.
When planning an event we began looking several days ahead and pay a lot of attention to that “7-Day Forecast.” We do that even though we know that it is not possible to accurately predict what the weather will do in seven days. At best it is an educated guess. Why is that? Because things can change overnight. A front can form, or a system can slow down, or the winds can shift … among other things. Yet we diligently watch.
I really think people look at the Bible and its teachings in the same way, unfortunately. We react to the weather forecasts like they won’t change … yet they do. While we react to the Word of God like it will change … and it doesn’t. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8). That means His Word is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It has to be … because human, carnal nature is also the same yesterday, today, and forever. Mankind hasn’t changed. We still embrace greed, selfishness, anger, hatred, violence, and lust. Because of that we lie, cheat, steal, and murder.
The Bible addresses each and every vice known to man. It give the solution to all of that and the solution has never changed.
Sure, we can say that we are smarter, healthier, and more productive, but the inner man is the same. What the Bible says is immoral at the time it was written is still immoral. What it says brings pain, suffering, and dishonor in that day does the same
today.
With that truth in from of us, let’s study the Word as often as we watch the weather. Let’s make plans for the future according to God’s Word as often as we do according to the weather.
Say good things about your Savior.

I saw a news story about a man who got into an argument with another man over a bet of $25. The
man went home, got a gun, came back, and murdered the man. There are circumstances of which I am
not aware, I’m sure. But the question that struck me was this: Why would someone do that? Why
would someone take a life and, in doing so, ruin his/her own life?
There are a lot of murders in the Birmingham metro area. And when the killings occur someone will
organize a “walk against gun violence” or something like that. Some will do a gun buy-back program to
get guns off the street. So far, those things have proved ineffective in preventing murders.
The underlying causes of murder are varied, but usually include some form of anger, greed, or lust. The
Bible speaks against all three and directly condemns them. In fact the Bible tells us that we should do
away with those desires; choose to think and live differently. I have always said that Jesus is the answer
to every question and the solution to every problem. That holds true here, for sure.
Can you imagine the difference a wave of revival sweeping through a community would make? And yet,
we don’t see a “March for Jesus” or a “Rally for Christ” as a viable solution. Sure, we can take guns out
of the hands of some people, but wouldn’t a changed heart keep those hands from picking up a gun?
Say good things about your Savior.

I’m the type of person who gives people the benefit of the doubt; I tend to trust people. Some times
that type of behavior backfires. Over the last 2 months I trusted a mechanic, a service manager at a
dealership and a car sales person at another dealership. All three broke my trust in them to the point
that I will not do business with them again. I must confess that I got a little mad. On the other hand, I
was more disappointed … both in them and in myself.
I was disappointed in them for taking advantage of someone who trusted them. I really do not
understand how someone can be “not truthful” in order to conduct business. And I was disappointed at
myself for allowing it to happen. I really like to be able to trust people and just take them at their word.
But it calls to mind the fact that I can always trust Jesus. He made many promise that bring peace and
joy to my life. I can trust Him to do what He says. He says that He brings a peace that passes the
understanding of mortal minds, and I know without a doubt that He does that. So when He says that He
is preparing a place for me, then that will happen. I trust Him … completely. And that is one of the best
aspects of my relationship with Him.
Maybe we can’t totally trust many people. Perhaps we should always take promises from humans “with
a grain of salt”. But never doubt Jesus.
Say good things about your Savior.