A Church Celebrating 40 Years

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Clearwater Community Church. It is a church with a rich history centered on the Gospel, the preaching of the Word, and the Great Commission. Throughout our history (see below) God's faithfulness has truly been evident, and it's to His praise and glory that we celebrate this milestone.

A Brief History of Clearwater Community Church

God began His work in what is now known as Clearwater Community Church when five families gathered together to worship and pray in February 1969. Their hearts were committed to the idea of glorifying God through worship, discipleship, and evangelism.

The church soon rented the teaching auditorium at St. Petersburg Junior College (Clearwater campus) and began to hold services there. The needs of the children were met with the purchase of a large empty house trailer, which served as a portable nursery. About 100 worshippers attended the first service where Dr. Haddon Robinson, a former professor of Dallas Theological Seminary, provided the sermon. Guest speakers continued to lead the congregation until Pastor Jim Rose was called to serve as their first full-time pastor/teacher.

By 1980, God continued to bless the church and in the latter part of that year, the congregation moved into its own building on Landmark Drive in the Countryside area of Clearwater. It was during this time that God blessed CCC with remarkable growth and eventually there was a great need for expansion. Then in 1992, after much fervent prayer, the church voted to sell the existing building to a nearby Methodist Church, and services were temporarily held at the Kent Jewish Community Center while the church began the process of building its present facility on Belcher Road.

A spirit of unity and excitement filled the hearts of the congregation as they moved into the new facilities on Belcher Road in November 1994. Now today, as God continues to build His church, the hearts of those who make up Clearwater Community Church are committed to glorifying God by making disciples who will use their gifts to meet the needs of the greater Clearwater community. There is much excitement about what lies ahead, and as the church remains faithful to its original calling, we will, by God’s grace, bear much fruit for the Kingdom of Christ. It is indeed His church, and we are His people, the sheep of His pasture (Psalm 100:3).

Forgiveness...The Nature of the Cross

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Crucifixion was one of the worst ways a man could die. The Romans often killed people this way, and here in Jerusalem their sight of crucifixion was a place called the Skull – an appropriate title since this place came to represent death. The process of dying was drawn out over a period of time. It began with what was called scourging – where a prisoner was bent over, tied to a post, and whipped on his bare back with a lash or a whip that had either pieces of bone or metal tied to the end of it.

It was a cruel punishment. And the punishment continued as the criminal was to carry the cross on his bloody back all the way up the hill, where the even more graphic details of death were to be carried out.

But why this man? Was he a wicked criminal deserving of death? No, in fact, we know him as a man without sin who raised people from the dead, who caused the deaf and the dumb to hear and speak again, who gave sight to the blind, who told the lame to get up and walk, whose gentle touch and words of love could restore hope and joy, and heal the body and soul.

But now, here he was. Jesus, the man who healed, was now himself bruised and battered, spit upon and falsely accused. And he said, “Father forgive them?”

The teachers of the law had claimed that he was a blasphemer, and even said that, “he was of the devil.” Over and over insults and spit were hurled at him, as if beating him wasn’t enough. The soldiers had placed a crown of sharp, skin piercing thorns upon his head. In order to make the pain more treacherous, they jammed the crown down further and further as they struck him on the head with a staff. Some people were ruthless; their blood was burning with hate and filled with anger. But there were also those who were laughing. Some thought it was funny. Scripture tell us that the soldiers would sarcastically fall to their knees and pay homage to him, shouting “Hail, king of the Jews.” And he said, “Father, forgive them?”

Christ was condemned to death like a common criminal -- as if he was nothing more than a thug or a thief! And everywhere there was more shouting, more words were tossed at him. But the words that Jesus returned were very different.

Out of all this injustice, all these lies and all of this pain, when nails were being driven in his feet and hands, Jesus had every right to bring down words of instant judgment upon them. He could have called a legion of angels to strike down each soldier, or to silence each laugh, in order to make right this wrong he was suffering, to end this misery that he was facing.

But he didn’t do that. Instead of words of hate and retaliation or revenge and justice or firing out words of death, he spoke words of life. Words that would have a sudden impact on a Roman centurion and a few who surrounded him. In fact the centurion said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Jesus’ words were words filled with compassion for these people who did not realize what was actually happening at that very moment –when the enormous weight of sin was placed upon his shoulders. No, they weren’t words of judgment, but words of grace and life, and some of them sounded like this: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” It is the substance of these words that today remind us of one of the most undeserved blessings that God showers on those who believe, and that is the blessing of forgiveness. Forgiveness, resulting in eternal life.

A Different Perspective on the Recession

How do we understand what we are going through? In these times when all of the worldly securities are seemingly so insecure (like jobs, houses, retirement funds, etc.), how are we as believers to understand what God may be doing in the bigger picture? For there is war, genocide, poverty, terrorism, financial chaos, the destruction of families, along with many other areas of crisis that have caused many to panic, fear, and fall into despair.

But for Christians who trust in the sovereignty of God, and who have placed their lives and trust in God alone for their salvation, identity, purpose, and security, this recession serves as a means for our faith to be strengthened and a longing for our true home to be on the forefront of our minds. It also provides us with an opportunity for our values to be tested, our eyes to be opened, and growth in areas we may never have thought about before.

In a recent sermon entitled, “What is the Recession For?,” Dr. John Piper, Pastor/Teacher at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sets forth five purposes that God may have for us during this time of recession. I think they are rather insightful and present a well thought out biblical worldview on the issues of suffering, trials, and money. Piper says that some of God’s purposes might be that:

1) He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing.
2) He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind.
3) He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth.
4) He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it. This is how he guards his glory.
5) He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love.

Surely these are not exhaustive or comprehensive in nature, which Piper admits, but they are very “right on the money” if you will pardon the pun. There are two sides to every trial – there is the natural, worldly side where which is how we are often tempted to view it most, and then there is the other spiritual side where seeing things from God’s bird’s eye view gives us a whole new perspective. If we view this as a time when God is further sanctifying us while giving us a hunger for heaven, then our souls will find rest even when the world crumbles down around us. Remember, God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” - James 1:12, (NIV)

An Expected but Horrifying Reversal on Stem Cell Research

This coming Monday, Barak Obama, the President of the United States of America, is set to reverse a previous Executive Order issued by former President George W. Bush that prevented federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. This research involves the harvesting of human stem cells obtained from the destruction of live, viable human embryos. In other words, it allows the medical research community to receive funds (i.e. taxpayer money) from the Federal Government for the purpose of doing research on already conceived children whose lives will be terminated for the purpose of “scientific advancement.”

It is thought that embryonic stem cells hold great potential for developing replacement tissues that can potentially cure diseases and heal neurological disorders. And even though other forms of stem cells, mainly adult stem cells, have shown to have just as much promise as that of embryonic stem cells, researchers are calling the embryonic stems cells the “most flexible” of all cells. It is what they want most.

Yet they already have them. It has never been illegal to do this kind of “research” with private funds, and now we are taking it to the next level, using taxpayer money to fund it. So if you think about this a minute, what is happening is this. We are required by law to pay taxes, and the taxes we pay are being used to provide funding for the destruction of unborn children, all in the name of “science.” Scientists can now start applying for research grants from the National Institute of Health at any time after this.

Obama declared that he would “ensure that all research on stem cells is conducted ethically and with rigorous oversight." But for those of us who come from a biblical worldview, where we believe that life begins at conception, any research of this type that destroys viable embryos has already crossed the line of moral and ethical responsibility. It results in death, death of children who have received a soul from God the moment the sperm and the egg merged and conceived a human life. This is most grievous.

One has to imagine how long the Lord will put up with the blatant immorality that we have fallen into. I still believe that we live in the greatest country in the world, and if called upon would give my life to defend it as many before me have done and are doing now, but ever since the Roe v. Wade decision of the early 70’s, there have been almost 50 million innocent children that have been destroyed in the womb by abortion. And now we are doing it in the lab under the auspices of research. If I’m not mistaken the Nazi’s did the same thing in World War 2, using people for experiments. The only difference is the stage of development of the person being sacrificed. The soul is there. King David ascribed personhood to conception (Psalm 51:5). And further, even if these stem cells taken from the destroyed embryos show signs of “promise,” the end does not justify the means.

The ancient Proverb reads, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint” (Prov. 28:19a). Certainly there is no underlying conviction wrought by God’s revelation (God’s Word) that is being considered, understood or regarded here, and therefore the secular world has no reason to practice ethical restraint on this. There is no conviction about it whatsoever. None of this should surprise us, because it is the Holy Spirit that brings conviction, repentance, and faith, and even the illumination necessary to discern the truths of Scripture, that which is right and wrong.

It is our duty as Christians to hold fast to the sanctity of human life, both at the beginning of life as well as the end. We should oppose any and all legislation or executive orders that disregard the sacredness of human life, at any level. Therefore we should pray that our President may somehow change his mind on this, though I think it is unlikely that he will.

This blog is not so much about politics, rather it is about Christians speaking out about issues of morality, what is right and wrong. We have a duty as Christians to speak out against wickedness wherever we see it and to call all those who will listen to repentance from sin and faith towards God (in keeping with our Great Commission). Further, we have an obligation to pray against unrighteous actions, that the Lord himself will “deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13). Yet we should not be surprised if things get worse for those who hold to biblical principles, because the world system is continually and gradually being set up and primed for the return of Christ. And to be honest, I wouldn’t mind it if the Lord came back right now, even before this order reversal takes place on Monday.

Remembering and Being Inspired by His Suffering

“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.” - 2 Timothy 2:8-9 (NIV)

These are the words that Paul told Timothy. He wanted to remind Timothy of the necessity of keeping Jesus Christ at the center of his mind. Paul reminded him that this Jesus has been, “raised from the dead” – and thus proven to be fully God, while at the same time a human “descended from David” – and thus fully man. So Timothy, as Paul might say, it is the suffering “God-man” that must be at the center of all things, and we must have such a view of him before us that it would cause us to be willing to suffer as well for the sake of His gospel.

What does such a view entail? It means seeing God for who He is, in all of His majesty and glory, discovering him anew from different angles as we read the Scriptures and experiencing him daily in our prayers and worship. And it means taking special notice of His suffering. The focal point of all of history is found in the One who took on flesh. And He suffered, and we should be living out our faith so boldly that we suffer along with him, thus identifying ourselves as His followers.

But I have a hard time believing that we can actually have that sort of view of him or even have a willingness and desire to suffer when our eyes are fogged up with temporal things and worldly distractions that never satisfy. I am guilty of this. Even the noble business of doing “ministry” may clog up one’s spiritual arteries and jerk your mind off of Jesus if you're not careful. Which is why Paul said to Timothy – remember Jesus Christ! And specifically - remember his suffering. Take hope from that, and consider it over and again in your mind.

We should have such a love and holy boldness for Christ (and such a clear identification with Him) that it naturally ought to bring a measure of persecution and suffering to us who live in world that is hostile towards Jesus. Let us evaluate our lives to see if we are suffering in any way because of our allegiance to and outspokenness for Christ.

I would go as far to say that in the same way the Fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) are necessary marks of a Christian life (as is faith, hope, and love – 1 Thess. 1:2-3), so is the idea that “suffering in some measure for the name of Christ” must also be a mark of an obedient Christian (2 Tim. 3:12). That’s bold to say – and may generate some comments. But where are we experiencing that hostility? I hate to say it, but if we are not suffering (in this sense), perhaps it is because we look like everybody else and are much too in love with and conformed to the pattern of this world (1 John 2:15-17; Romans 12:2).

Remember Jesus, beloved. Remember his suffering. For until we fully grasp how He suffered for us, we will never be inspired and inclined to live the kind of obedient life that God expects for those who are to be suffering as “aliens and strangers” to this world.

Beware of playing "matchmaker"

Recently at my church we have been discussing the topic of marriage and singleness. Few areas are more near and dear to people’s hearts than their “love interests.” Being single in today’s world is not easy. For some it may be a “spiritual gift” ( 1 Cor. 7:7), for others it may be a matter of not yet finding the right mate, and for some it may be a matter of making school or a career a priority for this season of life. Singleness may be by choice, or not by choice. Everybody is different.

The pressure that singles often feel from our social culture, whether by family or friends, can often times be overwhelming. Some have felt opinions of others who may wonder if there is something “wrong with them. They can’t seem to find love.” The expectations that are placed are often unfair. “Maybe someday they will grow up and settle down,” some may say. Even parents and grandparents have hopes for grandchildren and great grandchildren. It’s not bad to want those things, but when those expectations and judgments hover over someone’s head who is single, it can be devastating.

Yet being single is not anything to be “ashamed” about. In fact, in God’s sight it is honorable, right, and good (1 Cor. 7:1). The freedom one has to serve the Lord (1 Cor. 7:32), the unbridled devotion to give of themselves to Kingdom priorities, being spared from some of the unique challenges and encumbrances that married life can bring (1 Cor. 7:28), are just but a few of the advantages of remaining single if God so wills it.

Don’t get me wrong. Marriage is a gift of God. It is a unique way to portray the relationship that Christ has with his church (Eph. 5:22-33). It is a blessing in numerous ways. But marriage is not the end all. It is not to be elevated and idolized above all else. Our primary satisfaction should not come from an earthly relationship, but from a heavenly one. A relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we should be careful what we say and how we approach friends and family who for whatever reasons are single. It may not be God’s will for them to get married, or at least not just yet. And if they do desire to get married, but haven’t found the right person yet, we should still do everything we can to encourage them to be content with where they are right now until God chooses to bring the right person along. Because if they are not content when they’re single, it’s not likely that they will be content once they are married. Contentment is not merely achieved by a change of circumstances. No, it runs deeper than that. Contentment is a spiritual issue.

For example, Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks…will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.” (John 4:13-14) Our goal then should find our delight and satisfaction not in the temporal, but in the eternal. That’s contentment. So true contentment comes from knowing Christ, not from things of this world, no matter how good the love or the relationship may be at the human level.

Why do I say all of this? Well, I think it’s important to remember all this when it comes to our attempt at “matchmaking.” It may be all in good fun, and maybe on occasion it might actually work. But beware of once again putting unwarranted pressure on someone and feeding into an attitude of discontentment by always coming up with someone to solve their “problem” of being single. Like I said, singleness may be no problem at all, but God’s will. But we may make it harder for someone to find that contentment if we are always suggesting somebody new that they could go out with.

A word of advice. If you want to set someone up with someone else, ask permission first. Ask your friend whether he or she even wants you to offer to do that for them. Don’t assume they need your help, unless, of course they ask for it. Remember, our deepest desire for them is that they are happy and content, and they have to find that part in their relationship with Christ first. “The best way to find the right spouse is to be the right spouse.” And that’s what you want to aid them in the most, preparing them spiritually to be satisfied in Christ (and thus the "right spouse" for someone else) so that if they do enter into a relationship it is on solid footing right from the start. That’s the best thing you will ever do for them, whether they get married or not.

So have fun, but be careful, and mindful of what people really need more than anything. They need Jesus. As do we all.

A Bible Without "Error"

A STATEMENT ON THE INERRANCY OF THE BIBLE

Thanks to God’s providence and power, Scripture, in the original manuscripts, is for us a completely errorless text in all it affirms. Every word, every fact, every matter of faith and practice is without any error, in keeping with the character of God, who inspired (God-breathed) the text. In the process of writing Scripture, the Holy Spirit spoke infallibly through fallible men, all the while allowing the style and personality of the writer, and the cultural distinctives (including the various literary genres) to shape the final form of the original text.

We must certainly be willing to acknowledge the potential for errors to occur in the transmission process, and comparing what known manuscripts we currently have can substantiate many of these errors. This is likely to happen through hundreds of years of copying by scribes. With this understanding, the science of textual criticism is then employed, so as to arrive to as close a reading as we can to the original autographs. We can acknowledge mistakes in transmission, but it is more important to acknowledge the fact that God does not lie and does not communicate to us in such a way that what he says is contrary to fact. Using the context to aid us, we can safely conclude that we have the original manuscript with 99 percent accuracy and that none of this compromises important doctrine. Furthermore, it is not necessary to see discrepancies in numbers (which may be rounded) and a lack of concrete language as “errors” in the text. To be imprecise is not necessarily to be in err. Modern day tests of precision and accuracy need not usurp inerrancy. As John Frame rightly asks and answers,

But why does God allow vagueness in His inerrant Word? Because vagueness is often both necessary and desirable for communication, and God’s purpose in Scripture is to communicate, not to state the truth in the most precise form possible.[1]

With regard to numbers which may be rounded, for it to be concluded that what was written is factually in error, it would have to be shown that “the degree of precision implied by the speaker and expected by his original hearers” is completely or grossly contrary to historical fact.[2] Thus to claim that there were 1,000 men killed by Samson (Jud 15:15) when in fact it could be substantiated that there were only 3 or 4 killed would be to indeed find an error.[3] The issue we are getting at here is truthfulness, which must be measured in its rightful context. It is essential to affirm that chronicles in Scripture can and do provide accurate “informational” content, because it is impossible to disconnect the theological or moral meaning from its historical moorings. Much work has been done to show that many “problem texts” in Scripture can indeed be resolved and harmonized through deeper historical, linguistic, and literary study. I find it interesting that even as I write this, archaeologists have just uncovered the ancient wall in Jerusalem built by Nehemiah. I love it when this happens!

The analogy of faith is also a binding conviction in my understanding of Scripture. This is a principle of interpretation that recognizes the inherent unity of the Bible (Genesis through Revelation). We then can clarify “problem texts” that are suspicious that would seem to advocate more than just a factual error. For example, a contextual study of James 2:24 would help us see that it does not contradict Ephesians 2:8-9 or Romans 3:28. The harmonization of these texts reveal to us that although we indeed are saved by grace through faith alone, a true saving faith is one that will embody fruit or works in keeping with repentance. Therefore, the Bible does not contradict itself resulting in some doctrinal and moral error. It is, as Wayne Grudem puts it, a “gracious condescension” for God to speak to us in human language through the Holy Scriptures. And as such, it is an "action" of God that is without error.[4] In what the Bible claims, whether this is a historical fact or a theological or moral assertion couched in such, it is wholly true.

[1] John M. Frame, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 1987), 221. The latter emphasis is mine.

[2] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 91. Grudem also notes that it was acceptable in the ancient world to loosely quote the content of an earlier speaker or writer without presenting an exact quotation (92). Surely this is what many of the Apostles did in the NT when quoting the OT. Yet using a loose quotation (an indirect quote) does not deny the truthfulness of what is being said or cause one to note a contradiction resulting in a false assertion.

[3] For a helpful essay which seeks to resolve some alleged errors in the text, see Gleason L. Archer, “Alleged Errors and Discrepancies in the Original Manuscripts of the Bible,” in Inerrancy, ed. Norman L. Geisler (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980), 57-82.

[4] The connection of seeing Holy Scripture as divine action embodied in human language is further reason why one can advocate inerrancy. God is performing an action when He speaks, and all His actions are perfect. These are known as "speech acts."