Pastor's Circle - Ed Litton

Ed Litton has served as the the senior pastor of First Baptist North Mobile since 1994. He joined the Pastor's Circle to talk about the mission of his church. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his segment.

Your mission statement talks about "making disciples." What does it mean to make a disciple?

That's a great question that we have been asking ourselves and re-asking ourselves. God's been taking us through a season of inspecting the words we use and the things we say we believe.

To us, discipleship begins when you hear the call and respond to the call to follow Jesus Christ. And then, of course, there are steps that you take.

Martin Luther said that it is the default of the human heart to be "religious". We don't believe that Jesus came to establish a religion.

We've discovered and rediscovered what it means to have our hearts on fire because of what Jesus did for us. That's what fuels my soul.

What is the antidote for a church that is focused internally?

That's right where we're at. It's interesting to me that 95% of southern evangelicals have never led a person to Christ. That tells me that we don't have a passion in our heart that makes us care.

Our church was becoming a social club. Jesus confronted his disciples on a regular basis about their moralism. That's not the place that we're supposed to be.

I noticed as a pastor that I saw the gospel as a diving board that got me into the pool of God's Kingdom. The fact is, the gospel is the pool.

If I was missing it, I knew everyone else was missing it. I think that's why the nation is in the state it's in. It's dark because the light is hidden.

God has also been taking us to the woodshed about idolatry.

What is an idol?

Anything that I love more than God. It could be Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State; it could be basketball or baseball; it could be hunting; it could even be my wife and family.

What are some of the idols in the pastorate?

There are deep-rooted idols that are very challenging to get out. For me, it's approval. It's the fear of man, it's wanting people's approval.

Which leads us to not being as fruitful. Most people who do what we do are approval junkies.

Pastor's Circle - Chuck Huckaby

Chuck Huckaby, pastor of St. Andrew's Church in Lawrenceburg, TN, joined the Pastor's Circle to talk about  perseverance in prayer. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

How did the Church get away from fasting?

I was just thinking about that yesterday. I grew up in Bible-believing evangelical churches, and I don't ever remember any talk about fasting.

Sometimes we can say, "I love the Bible!" but we really never read it much. We fight if the Ten Commandments are going to be taken off the courthouse wall, but no one knows what they are.

We need to stay close to Scripture, and let our hearts and minds be changed by God.

What does it mean to "persevere in prayer"?

In the Gospels it says that Jesus taught this parable to the effect that we should never lose heart. He told the parable about the unjust judge, and said if that's how judges act, how much more will our Father answer us?

Realize also that prayer isn't an instant download. God doesn't have to be convinced, but He is the Sovereign King. He is working out his own plans, and calls us to be persistent in our prayers to Him.

Why does God require perseverance of us?

I think it's to train us. If prayer was something we could fire off and forget, we would forget the Source to whom we pray.

It would all become about us, and prayer would become something to check off our to-do list rather than humbling ourselves and coming before God.

If we could just fire and forget it, we would think that God was working out our purposes.

What are some biblical examples of perseverance?

The one that I keep coming back to is Abraham. Imagine for yourself: you have this direct promise from God, and then nothing seems to happen. 

God delivers you, but the thing He promised is still not coming.

 So you come up with backup plans. We come up with all these plans, that we think are our own answer to prayer, and then God shows us how worthless that is.

Finally, about a generation later, you run out of hope that it's ever going to happen, and then it happens.

It's that way with us a lot of times. When our only hope is in the Living God, when He's purged us of our schemes and self-will, and when He's disciplined us to pray and do what we need to do, something happens.

Pastor's Circle - Gil McKee

Gil McKee, Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa, joined the Pastor's Circle today to discuss thanksgiving. Here are the "CliffsNotes" of his segment.

What's the hardest thing about being thankful?

I think just getting over the things that are so easy for us to grumble about.

We all know it's easy to pick out the things that aren't going well, but our discipline as Christians is to focus on the things that are going well and be thankful for those things.

In America, does our prosperity work against us?

Absolutely. It makes no sense. But when you live in a land as prosperous as this, you begin to take things for granted.

God has promised to give us everything we need, but not everything we want. In America, we are very very confused over those things.

We've developed the feeling that we are entitled to all of this stuff. Of all people, we in the Church ought to know better than that. But nevertheless, we do it.

We allow the world to move into the Church, rather than the Church marching out into the world.

It's an incredibly powerful force in the life of the believer when we live in the peace of Christ.

How does thanksgiving work relationally?

I think the life of the Christian should be one of edifying those around us. The Scripture teaches often that we're to build up the body of Christ.

Can you think of anything that edifies the body more than just looking in someone's eyes and saying, "I am thankful for you."

I think it's like any other discipline in our life. The more we practice it, the more second-nature it becomes.

In a culture where we're just not interested in accountability, we've forgotten that there's some disciplines that we need to follow. Thanksgiving is certainly one of them.

Pastor's Circle - Jerry Horner

Jerry Horner has been a university professor and administrator since 1962. He currently functions as the Executive Director of New Creation Ministries.

He joined the Pastor's Circle after extended world travel to talk about excitement over the Word of God. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

Of any place you've been in the last year, where is God's work most exciting?

I believe it's in parts of Southeast Asia. There is mission work going out like nothing you've ever seen from places like Singapore and Malaysia and Indonesia.

One of the most exciting places is in the Philippines, where there is a revival going on in the police and the military.

It's amazing to see the movement of the Holy Spirit and the power of the gospel. I'm wonderfully excited to see the movement of God in Muslim countries.

Is there a difference between Southeast Asia and America in their love for the Word?

You know, you're exactly right. One of the marks of a Spirit-filled church and a Spirit-filled individual is his submission to the Word of God.

I'm impressed that the very first characteristic of the first church in Jerusalem in Acts 2 is that they submitted themselves to apostolic teaching. 

They had just come from a tremendous spiritual experience, having the Holy Spirit fall upon them, but they knew that they couldn't live by experience alone.

We have bequeathed to us in the pages of the New Testament the very same teaching that they received. The Word of God has the power to transform lives.

I really believe that the agent of the devil could get up and read the scripture and people could get saved, because of the power of the Word of God.

What is your method in your personal devotions?

There are different ways to approach Bible study, and I think there is a variety that is in order here. You might concentrate on characters of the Bible. What can I learn from the life of David? What can I learn from the life of Paul?

Another way is a thematic study. What does the Bible have to say about love, about faith, about courage, about fear? Go through and saturate yourself in the teachings of the Bible on that subject.

I love to go back and read the prayers of the Bible and apply them to myself. I think Paul's prayers are still being answered today. I'll make it contemporary and put my own name in there.

I like what the Apostle Paul said more than once about the history of Israel. He said, "These things were written for our benefit." They were written for us to benefit in history, in doctrine.

You can read it and study it, but unless you apply it in real, contemporary life, it doesn't do you any good.

What happens to a movement that is excited about the Spirit but not the Word?

The early Church recognized that you don't live on experience alone.

I think that the Lord is less interested in how high you can jump when you praise Him than He is in how you walk when you hit the ground.

The Spirit of God is given to change us into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Let's concentrate on knowing Christ, and being like Him.

Pastor's Circle - Johnnie Moore

Rev. Johnnie Moore serves at Liberty University as Vice President and Campus Pastor. He joined the Pastor's Circle do talk about the "healthy soul". Here are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview. 

What is "health" in the Kingdom of God?

We're talking about someone who is living how they were designed to live. We sometimes forget that we were created in the image of God.

When I talk about a healthy soul, I'm talking about getting to that place again with God.

We worry about healthy minds and healthy bodies, and sometimes we forget about our souls.

Why is it hard for us to prioritize like Jesus talks about in Luke 14?

America is the Disney Land of the world. When the Gospel of Jesus Christ comes into a desperate context, you really realize what you have with the gospel. Jesus isn't just your religion, he is everything.

Somehow in America, even if you live in a less Christian part of the country, we're a Christian nation, and we don't value our faith as much. We have a very small view of the Kingdom of God.

We have the most priceless commodity in the universe in the palm of our hand, but it's like we have the Hope Diamond and we treat it as if it were a piece of crystal.

The love you have for Jesus should make all these other loves look like a different word.

Another thing is that we're incredibly distracted. There are spiritual issues that keep us away from the right priorities, but there are also physical ones.

How can we balance being in a Christian environment and being in ministry?

I think it's both/and, not either/or. It's perfectly appropriate to say that for a portion of your life, you're in a Christian community learning the Word of God, and then you are sent out.

Jesus has taught us that you have discipleship moments and environments when you get to explore your faith. But at the same time, Jesus prayed over his disciples that they would not be taken out of the world, but left in it.

That's part of our problem. We don't know how to relate to the world, because we're not even in it. We've kind of become gluttons of grace in our own environment.

"If you make disciples by sitting around and talking, don't be surprised if your disciples sit around and talk." Agree?

Absolutely. And the only way that happens is intentionally. You have to push people out and get them out in new contexts.

From the very beginning at Liberty, one of our core values has been an "action-oriented curriculum."

Everyone is focused on bringing people into churches. It's much more difficult to push them out. And they will never come in if they don't see people outside.

Pastor's Circle - Rick Scarborough

Dr. Rick Scarborough, Founder and President of Vision America, joined the Pastor's Circle today to discuss the upcoming presidential election. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

How should we, as Christians, pick a presidential candidate?

The first thing we've gotta remember is that Jesus isn't running for president.

There's always the striving in the church towards perfection. But when it comes to picking a president, we aren't gonna find Jesus on the ballot anywhere. We're going to have to pick a flawed person.

What you have to do is find the person who best respects your beliefs and values. We cannot give up our quest to find a godly man or woman.

I believe if you look carefully and with discernment, you can find the right person.

What about the objection to picking the "lesser of two evils"?

I hear people make much out of this idea, lesser of two evils, and they use it as an excuse to not vote.

Part of our responsibility is to exercise our Christian citizenship. That means we have to vote.

Every single candidate is a sinful candidate, so it's always the lesser of two evils.

What should our position be in a situation like Newt Gingrich's?

In the case of Newt Gingrich, it's not only in the marital difficulties that there are problems. He's taken positions over the years that are counter to the ones he has now.

Yes, God will forgive. But we have to be very careful as Christians to look at the history.

What should we think about Herman Cain's situation?

We have to look carefully, and with great discernment. But none of us have to make a decision right now.

What all of us have to do right now is pray that God would show us who He has selected, and then get on board.

We cannot let the secular press make the decision for us.

How should the pastors respond to this election?

What I'd be focused on right now is getting every church member of voting age registered to vote.

And then I would be exhorting them to pray, listen, and get ready to go vote their values.

Pastor's Circle - Jeffrey Klick

Jeffrey Klick is the Senior Pastor of Hope Family Fellowship in Kansas City. He joined the Pastor's Circle to discuss what a young person should look for in a spouse. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his segment.

What should a young man look for in a bride?

I just had a young man in my church who is publishing a newsletter for young men, and he asked me to write an article on that very topic. It's a very important question.

The first and foremost question for a young man seeking a bride, once he is in agreement with his parents that he's old enough and ready, is does she have a good relationship with the Lord?

She needs to be in love with Jesus. That's what sustains us when the difficulties come.

How do you discern that relationship with Christ?

I think observation is the big thing. Before you get emotionally entangled with someone, observe them in the church service, during worship. Observe how they treat the authorities.

You observe these things. When you start dialoguing with her, what comes out of her mouth? A guy should be looking for things that are going to last. Does the young lady have a proper value for the Scripture? That's something she's going to build upon.

Watch how the young lady treats her family. After you say "I do," you become family. After the courtship, what's going to come out is what she is at home.

Is she a servant? Marriage takes a death to self. Is she other-centered? Is she willing to lay down her life for others? Is she involved in service? Is she kind?

You're looking to see what her character is. Do you have common interests and dreams? If one of you wants to be a missionary in a foreign country, and the other won't leave the state, that's going to be a problem.

You're entering into a lifelong partnership, where two hearts beat as one. If you marry someone who doesn't believe in following what God wants you to do, there's going to be pain. How are you going to build a relationship on that?