Author: jimmyreagan

Reflections On 9 Years As Pastor Of First Baptist Church

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It seems like yesterday that we came in that moving truck from Tennessee to West Union, Ohio. 9 years! I can’t fathom it really. We beat the statistics at least in that the average pastorate is around 18 months at the last count I heard.

I laugh when I think of the naivety I brought with me. Leaving the banking world really brought little help in the new life the Lord called me into. When our church surprised me with a celebration today, it really got me thinking.

Pastoring is tougher than I imagined for sure. I’ve got the bumps and bruises to prove it. I’ve seen the days when everyone thought I was the greatest pastor around and the days where I was the most incompetent pastor that ever walked behind the pulpit. I’ve lived through the harder days when the choices I felt required of God to make cost me much to the days now where I am just Jimmy and my people love me while knowing I have feet of clay.

As I type, I’m weighing it all out. Yes, it’s difficult, but if I could go back 9 years, would I do anything differently? Not on your life! I don’t care that some plans flopped, or some planned big days were small potatoes at best. I still consider the call of God on my life the greatest life of all.

To get to shepherd, with God’s help, other believers, to get to stand and preach, and to get spend my days in God’s Word, still washes away the worst debris of the ministry as if it never happened.

So thank you dear folks of First Baptist Church for the privilege of being your pastor. And thank you Lord for condescending to call one as unworthy as me to the greatest work I could ever imagine. All I want for the rest of my life is to continue this honor of serving my Lord.

Great High School World History Homeschool Circirrulum

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Master Books just keeps turning out incredible resources. In addition to apologetic and creation materials, they provide select courses for homeschool. This resource comes with a student book and a teacher volume. James Stobaugh, a pastor and homeschool Dad, wrote the material.

The books are attractive, lavishly illustrated with black and white photos, and fairly priced. The lessons are of manageable length and are for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. Assignments include essay questions and exams. It really encourages the critical thinking that our children need. The teachers guide leads the parent quite easily through what is, in many cases, forgotten subject matter. This style will be good to transition to college type of instruction.

Our children really need quality world history while in high school. I feel that is a lack in my own education. I have to brush up on world history, and particularly Western Civilization, at times. I feel the shortcomings. I feel I did a lot better in American History, but that’s only a little over 200 years of history. It’s the train of world history that led to America and so we need the proper perspective. We need the bigger picture.

Best of all, with this resource we get history from a thoroughly Christian outlook. This is of the same quality as other Master Book materials and I highly recommend it. The Reagan children will all be getting a turn with it when the time comes.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 . 

Guest Blogger–Pastor Mike Montegomery

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mike and susie montgomery

I’m glad to have my friend Pastor Mike Montegomery guest blogging on Reagan Review. I’ve learned over the last few years that he is a dedicated Pastor who loves his people, is dedicated to preaching God’s Word, and has a passion for souls. He is as true a friend as could one could be. He was the one who moved in our home while we were in Tennessee a week soon after my wife became paralyzed and tore a closet out of our bedroom replacing it with an accessible bathroom. He even raised the funds for the project. Needless to say, his Christianity is of the real variety. We love his entire family. He is also a reader and I love to hear his take on books he has read. 

He has his own blog at

http://philippians216.blogspot.com/

Brothers We Are Not Professionals

Boardman Holman Publisher

By: John Piper

First Published in 2002

286 pages

Overview

This book is a thought provoking look at the ministry and the personal walk of the pastor. Mr. Piper writes with passion and beauty. He does a great job of keeping your interest and always makes you think.

The purpose of the book is clear in the preface. Pg. xi “The aim of this book is to spread a radical, pastoral passion for the supremacy of and centrality of the crucified and risen God-Man, Jesus Christ, in every sphere of life and ministry and culture.” As far as this reader is concerned he hits what he aims at.

High notes

Mr. Piper repeatedly encourages the study of the pastor. He challenges you to be well read and well prepared. His writing reminds me often of A.W. Tozer in that it is often passionately spiritual and deeply rooted in the Word of God. He exalts the Scripture and calls for the Scripture to speak through the preacher in the pulpit. He leaves the reader with the understanding that the source of a sermon is Scripture, not the mind of the preacher. This book is never boring and will stir your soul as well as your mind. He willingly and boldly confronts misconceptions within the local church polity and theology.  He also emphatically stands on the Scripture for men only in the pastoral ministry. Mr. Piper closes the book with a strong plea for pastors to strengthen their own marriage, and in light of times, this cannot be echoed too often.

Low Points

Mr. Piper is a staunch Calvinist and it does come through in the book. Most of his emphasis is for the sovereignty of God and of course we can agree that God is sovereign. Chapter Fifteen I felt he had waded into a realm of doctrine that I believe is quicksand. In Chapter Eighteen he covers the importance of baptism. Though we agree on the time and method I feel he gives too much wiggle room to paedobaptism.

Summary

All in all, the entire book is a great read and any pastor will walk away from each chapter with at least one convicting and stirring truth. I would put this book at the top your stack!

 

I’ll Never Understand It

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I have watched the scene play out many times. Someone stares the reality of not being acceptable to God in the face. The truth of sin can not be avoided any longer and yet Christ is rejected. I don’t get it. I’ve been born again for 32 years now so maybe I am too far removed to remember what might entice someone to resist the Person of Jesus Christ.

Here’s how it looks to me now. I’m wrong with God, I’ve chosen darkness over His light, and my deeds are inexcusably evil. There is no way I can atone for my sins, no way I can bridge the chasm that I caused between me and God, and my future is eternally horrible.

In that helpless state, He moved to rescue me when I am the one in the wrong. Rescuing me came at tremendous cost to Him. Jesus left the splendors of heaven, came and suffered the humiliation of taking on a body, lived a giving life of hardship, came to a grotesque cross, bled, died, was buried and rose again–all for me! If I but accept His payment made on my behalf, my sins are forgiven, my eternal future secure, and the rift between us is healed.

To top it off, He offered to me at no cost. No cost to me at least! He even went so far as to send others to tell me about Himself and what He wants to do for me. So, to reject that–I’ll never understand!

I watched many people, though, do that very thing. Like as told in this poem:

JESUS WEPT

I saw a man

With Christ on the veranda of his soul

As gentle as a mare over a coal

Jesus knocked.

I heard a man

Who ignored the overtures to his heart

And said that he wanted no part

Jesus sought.

I watched a man

With no sense of impending doom

And of the judgement that did loom

Jesus pleaded.

I saw a man

Who thought he could delay

As if there were always another day

Jesus tugged.

 I heard a man

With all around him a swirling flood

And then trifle with the Blood

Jesus gave.

 I watched a man

Who could have triumphed over strife

And have received eternal life

Jesus loved.

 I felt for a man

Who stood on sinking sand

And overlooked a nail-scarred hand

Jesus wept.

Understanding World Religions in 15 Minutes A Day by Garry Morgan

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Do you ever catch yourself wondering what exactly other religions believe? Do you  wonder if your one sentence understanding is actually accurate? Do you then go look at a bookshelf of books on world religions and notice that they are all 500 pages or more and chicken out? Well, likely this is the book you have been looking for. It’s given in 180 readable, easy pages and as the title implies, your time is taken into consideration.

He begins by defining “religion”. He keys on a systematic set of beliefs that speaks to ultimate questions about life’s meaning. He will with this logical definition be able to legitimately address secular humanism as a religion.

He addresses Christianity first in one short chapter accurately focusing on the fact that Christianity isn’t a religion but a relationship. Well, according to his definition, it is one, but I appreciate how he found a way to show that the Christian “religion” is fully unique in how it answers life’s questions and the dealing with sin. When looked out from this vantage point, it is amazing, at least to me, what puts all other beliefs in the same fold-a solution tied up in works.

Then he dives into Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelical Christianity. I might find it a weakness in his trying to present Christianity objectively to the point of not overtly stating its superiority, but I’m sure it was so designed to reach a broader audience. You do see, though, that covertly he is a believer.

He gives the most detail on Islam as it is on our minds these days. Six chapters cover the variety that is out there in the Muslim world. He makes the complexities digestible and is all most would want to read on it. He also explains the confusing differences with Hinduism, Buddhism and the Baha’i faith.

He also covers eastern religions that, though rarer, make their way to us in popular culture in movies and current bestselling books. New Age and transcendental meditation are even covered.

He tries to define the difference in a cult and a religion. Some groups called cults in our day are addressed as well.

This book is a solid addition to Bible study. It’s length is a winner and it is understandable without being heavy. It’s most cases it will answer your questions satisfactorily. I recommend it to Christian laymen, homeschooling families, and pastors who need a quick review or overview.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 . 

Man Alive by Patrick Morley

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Here’s a winning addition to the growing shelves of Christian books for men.  There’s no lack of need since men as a general rule are lagging behind in spiritual advancement. Frankly, we need the help.

Mr. Morley talks a language you can understand. It’s where we live–good or bad.  He says “…as many as 90 percent of Christian men lead lukewarm, stagnant, often defeated lives. They’re mired in spiritual mediocrity–and they hate it.” True on both counts, wouldn’t you agree?

The book arranges around what he calls the seven primal needs of men. You might think some of them selfish, or addressing brokenness, but they are undeniably the fabric of men’s lives. We don’t want to live life alone despite the male tendency for aloof isolation. Our actions, like being swallowed by a career, pull us away from meeting our real need. See the difference in approach? Not spend time with your family because it’s a good thing, but because it meets your own deepest needs. We so often misunderstand ourselves.

In our complete misunderstanding we run from God and the fellowship of other believers in a local church when that is our very need. We need the “transforming” mentioned in Romans 12:2.  He distinguishes between heart transformation and behavior modification. Which do we need? But where do we put our emphasis? No wonder we have such a hard time. Learning that the Father really loves me, individually me, is another. He explains how the tendency for macho behavior among men is at its core just a cover up in this area.

We also must believe our life has purpose. Sadly, most of us do not. He gives practical insight that can help. He progresses to explain our need to break free from destructive behaviors, which likely spring from the aforementioned. Needs 6 and 7 seem, to me, to be found in the earlier mentioned ones, but they are critical enough to be worthy of the extra effort to grasp.The 8th one is a good summary–To make a contribution and make the world a better place. That’s not as selfish as it sounds, and I imagine, is where Christ would be glad (on His terms of course) to help us. There’s psychology here, but the Bible lurks in the wings as well. I recommend the book.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 . 

The Day Of The Crucifixion

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Synthesis of Crucifixion Day (Click here for a .pdf of the chart below. Feel free to print out for personal study.)

(Click image for larger view).

It’s no surprise that this most pivotal day of human history has the most details given in Scripture. Perhaps they aren’t given in the way we like things given today. There’s 4 Gospel records and the design behind which Gospel gets to tell which detail is far beyond us. In fact, the way the Lord has given us the Scriptures means that I am at no loss at all to, say, read Matthew straight through. Several facts are missing, but the great theme shines through.

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If you enjoy this chart, it and several others from the Gospels have been collected in my new book “Following Jesus Through the Gospels”. Click HERE for more information.

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Still, as I study God’s Word, I may want to put those details together for my own study. Who could blame me? That day made forgiveness, salvation, and Heaven itself all possible for me. It seems as one grows as a Christian there will always be a growing, healthy fascination about Christ–what He did, Who He is, and on and on. That will entail the production of a Harmony of the Gospels. Many exist. Most are fairly standard, except for a few hard-to-pin-down places. Only those who can’t come to grips with the idea of an infallible Word might shun the whole idea.

What some Harmonies fail to do is slow down at the Crucifixion. Each Gospel gives from a third to a half of its pages to that week. There is a reason for that. Then the pace slows even more for the day of the Crucifixion. My approach on the above chart is totally geared toward our culture. Midnight not only didn’t start a new day for those in Jesus’ time, but also it didn’t mean anything to them. Their day began with sundown. That’s totally unusual to we who even wait up till midnight to watch the new year come in.

Jesus makes it to the Garden of Gethsemane on this day. The horrors, the betrayal, and the arrest all happen after dark and so on this new day. By the time midnight comes Jesus has already endured at least part of the 3 religious trials He faced before Jewish authorities. Peter denied 3 times and ran off weeping. It was already a hectic day before our midnight kicked in. Here our chart picks up.

Dawn came pretty early then in those days of no daylight savings time. The custom of that day would be to get up early and get going, so Jesus’ civil trial before the Roman authorities all being done before 9 a.m. would not be not that remarkable. Even though we think of His suffering starting a little later, He probably has had no sleep in 24 hours (unless He caught a cat nap while being held till morning), He had a near-death experience in the Garden, and He suffered one of the most gut-wrenching betrayals ever known at the hands of Judas. Those supposedly still on His team are shivering in their sandals somewhere. Plus the trial had been a joke. One terrible false accusation after another has been hurled at Him. Finally, He is scourged with a cat-o-nine tails whip and is forced to carry His Own cross. No wonder He collapsed under the weight of the main beam of the cross.

By 9 a.m. He is actually hanging from that cross facing one of the most gruesome execution methods ever devised. Here’s where a synthesis of the Gospel records proves handy. So much happened. There were 3 hours of light and interaction with those around Him including much ridicule. He, as you surely know, never wavers. The three statements He makes during this time prove that pain and suffering couldn’t squeeze His great love out of Him.

At Noon a darkness overtakes all around. It was a darkness you could almost feel. You can sense an edginess by many. The suffering intensifies as every moment brings Him closer to death. What might not be obvious in any one Gospel record is that He gives His last 4 statements near the end. These all have to do with the agony of the sin He bears for us. “It is finished” is profound in its meaning, and exhaustive in its scope. All that could ever be required for my sin is given here.

At 3 p.m. He dies. More accurately, we say He laid down his life as He chose the time and the place. No person in Jerusalem that day could ever forget what it was like at 3 p.m. that day!

Others things happen, as you can see on the chart, but are rarely discussed as what happened at 3 p.m. eclipses all. Can you imagine how those women felt who left at dark after watching the stone being fully in place at His tomb? Remember for them it ended the Day of the Crucifixion. For us it might as well have even though midnight was roughly 6 hours away. Put a marker in your mind for that ending day as it set in motion a 3-day period that at its end will melt all the gloom there away forever.

Questions For Study

1. How do our customs affect how we view the story of the Crucifixion?

2. What is the difference in how the 4 Gospels present the story to how we looked at it in our chart?

3. What are your thoughts on the scope of Christ’s suffering?

4. Describe your thoughts on the few minutes before and after His actual death.

5. Compare and contrast the Day of the Crucifixion and the Day of the Resurrection.

The Backflow Of The Schaap Tsunami

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When the wave of the tsunami flows back to sea you are left with destruction. If you walk through the muck and look closely you can start to understand the ruinous conditions wrecked upon the landscape. I’ve looked. Two days ago I wrote   The Tsunami of Jack Schaap and I can’t believe what I see. This post has nothing to do with Mr. Schaap per se, but what is going on in Independent Baptist churches.

Two hideous things jump out. First, people who love the Lord and desperately want to do right are at a complete loss with how to handle an abusive pastor. I have received calls and emails  asking, “what can we do?” The answers aren’t easy. As a pastor, I know you don’t want to make petty criticism fashionable. You know the type–that’s the wrong color of paint, that’s a stupid song to sing, that’s an inferior way to illustrate that point, or even it’s criminal to have a service at 6 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. We pastors can take a little abuse too!

But pastors becoming enraged, engaging in verbal battles, and threatening their church members is epidemic. Of course there are many wonderful pastors serving selflessly. I know some of them. On the other hand, we’ve heard stories of chest bumping, yelling, and threatening to have you shunned.  I am well aware of troublemakers, but I am referring to people who are torn because they fear hurting the church and hurting others while knowing that type of pastoral behavior is unreasonable and unchristian. It should be dealt with, but how?

I’m still thinking it through, how to balance pettiness and real issues. I imagine the answer lies in the Biblical qualifications of a pastor (1 Timothy 3). Things like “brawling” are sufficient to opening the discussion of a man being disqualified to pastor. As it is now, it seems “husband of one wife” is the only one that counts. The Bible, however, makes no such distinction. If a real qualification is breached, it must be dealt with. If it’s something less than a stated Biblical qualification, let it go. Lord, give us wisdom.

Even if you, as I, think highly of the office of the pastor, we must honor it further. We must not sully its call, nor corrupt its beauty. We must hold it accountable to protect its great honor. And may God help us.

A Theology Of Luke And Acts

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Respected scholar Darrell Bock delivers in this volume on his topic of the theology of Luke and Acts in the BTNT series. Mr. Bock, already hailed as having given us the best modern exegetical commentary on Luke, writes on a subject here he has given many years of his life to study.

You will find all the usual suspects on the study of Luke and Acts–the connection of Luke and Acts, salvation, Christ, the Holy Spirit, women, and the poor. But there’s more. Things I hadn’t thought much of in regards to Luke and Acts, all laid out in a cogent, clear, persuasive form. As you would expect, he interacts much with other scholars and their opinions as he travels along his subject. As a pastor I can’t help but see some of that as the straitjacket the scholarly world has wrapped around itself. Still, he is concise enough that his text holds interest. If you are like me, you so think of Luke as one of the Gospels that you at times forget its special connection to Acts.

Zondervan asked we reviewers to pick one chapter and particularly review it. I chose the one that I felt I had the least knowledge of–“The Law in Luke-Acts” (Chapter 18). It really didn’t seem to me Luke or Acts had a lot to say on that subject.

Mr. Bock shows us that the scholarly world has had occasion to analyze the subject recently. He laid out the basics clearly in 3 paragraphs. I appreciate Mr. Bock fairly representing other viewpoints while telling his conclusion.  In doing so he dodges the problem of becoming so immersed in details, as many do, that they forget a conclusion was why we went digging in the first place. I don’t have to agree to enjoy the evidence being weighed and a conclusion being drawn.

He concludes that “… in the end law-abiding for Luke is only a consideration for Jewish believers, while Gentiles must be sensitive to certain practices tied to the law.” His idea seems to be “law-sensitive” is the orientation of Luke and Acts, and that it carries “realized promise” but no “salvation benefit.” Of course it has no salvation benefit, and I doubt Luke is really “conservative” in regards to the Law. More likely, to my mind, it’s Jewish person-sensitive since Christ has uprooted what has been deeply ingrained  into the very fiber of their people. I’d say it’s more a sensitivity to the complications of a progressive revelation.

He also masterfully discusses the issues of whether or not the Law failed, or at least how should what Jesus did be accounted for with the Law. He lays out all the possibilities available to form an opinion. I left it thinking that the Law failed in doing what people imagined it would while it fully succeeded in all the Lord planned for it to do.

He traced things like Sabbath incidents and gave us the data that is needed to form our opinions. Mr. Bock succeeds because he gave me what I needed to decide for myself. And he did it well. The whole book delivers in this way. I suspect this book will be popular among scholars, students, and pastors. As for me, it will hold a prominent place on my shelves and will be the first volume I reach for on questions of Luke-Acts theology. What better recommendation could a pastor possibly give?

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 . 

Life, In Spite Of Me–An Inspiring Read

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life in spite of me

Do you need encouraged? Inspired? This book delivers. Kristen Jane Anderson gives us her tragic story that becomes transformed by the Lord into triumph. A suicide attempt on a train track left her a double amputee. She should never have lived (that’s no exaggeration as the book proves), but she did. Listen to her story and finally see the hand of God become clear.

I had never heard her story until my wife, a paraplegic herself, had been reading about Ms. Anderson and was fascinated by it. That intrigued me, but I began reading thinking I would decide for myself. I did and it was a page turner!

When you read the advertisements that this book is a tool for suicide prevention, don’t assume that is all the book is about. Yes, every person contemplating suicide needs this book. Beyond that, though, every person fighting depression, or even a round of discouragement, will find this volume a rallying cry to not give up. Actually, if all you are looking for is a story of the mighty power of God on a life, grab this book. It reads easy and holds your attention throughout.

What makes this book work? Ms. Anderson doesn’t hold back. No matter how unpleasant the detail, if it is needed to tell her story, she tells it. Depression, partying, all the things that added to the darkness she went through are given in all the gory details. At the same time, dark things are never glamorized. She tells us what she thought and felt each step of the way.

Adjusting to her new found disability was shown in a clear way that as one who watched his wife adjust, I could relate. I thought that part was especially well done. Then, there was guilt. It haunted her through everything and we find where she found victory. Even with counseling and dealing with prescription drug issues we are let into her life. Failures, setbacks, and finally success are laid bare.

The point where she found Christ was an emotional high in the book where you felt like cheering. Later, when her loving mother did the same, you find yourself excited again. Finally, there’s the lesson she learned–a loving God saved her on a train track so He could save her soul later. A lady with so much sadness became a lady filled with love and gratitude. Ms. Anderson, thank you for sharing your story that clearly can help so many.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 .