Pastor Josh Wamble, Author at First Baptist Church Fairdale

About Pastor Josh Wamble

Pastor Josh moved to the Louisville area in 2005 and joined FBC, Fairdale soon after. Since then, he has served as a deacon, the church's janitor, a teacher for children and adults, preacher, and on several church committees. He currently serves as one of the church's pastors. Josh also serves as a stateside missionary with Reaching and Teaching International Ministries as part of its Global Training Team providing education and training to indigenous pastors and church leaders who have not had access to such education. He works mostly in the Latin America region.

Leaving a Faithful Legacy

By Pastor Josh Wamble

I wonder if you have thought much about the legacy that you will leave behind when you die. I hope that you have. Almost every time I attend a funeral (looking at the pictures displayed, having conversations with others about the person who has died, and listening to the eulogy), I find myself thinking about that person and their impact on me but also about my own life and what people will say about me when I die—what my legacy will be. I hope that you have thought about the legacy you will leave behind for your children and other family and your friends, the impact your life is having on others.

But, I also wonder if you have ever thought about the legacy you will leave behind in your church.

The last few years have been really good for our church, but also really hard for our church in especially one way. It seems like a generation of older people is leaving us. Each year around Christmas time, our deacons host a lunch for the widows and widowers in our church. Recently, some of us came across a picture of that group from 2017. There were ten widows in that picture. A short five years later, and now only three of them are still here. Others who were not widows in 2017 have passed away since then as well.

That generation of believers and members of FBC, Fairdale have had a huge impact on me in many ways not least of which is how I think about the church and the importance of following Jesus together. They each left individual legacies behind, but when I think about their legacy and their impact on me as a group—as a generation of members here—one thing I think of is how generous they were with their church. I moved to Louisville in 2005 and joined the church soon after. I was a young seminary student from TN. I had never heard of Fairdale, KY before. I didn’t know the history of the church or the community. Yet, in spite of all that, they welcomed me here so willingly and genuinely.

In 1 Corinthians 13:5, we are told that love “seeks not its own advantage” or “does not insist on its own way.” Over the years, whenever decisions were being discussed or changes were being put into place or newer people were being put into different positions at the church, they never “sought their own advantage” or “insisted on their own way.” They never made things difficult—and they could have. I imagine it’s difficult for a 70-year-old or an 80-year-old to have a 35 or 40 year old pastor or group of pastors.

It’s probably difficult for someone who has been a member of a church for as long as they have been to see different people with different ideas and approaches begin serving in leadership and decision-making positions and doing some things differently than they had been done in the past. In none of these situations did they ever “seek their own advantage” or “insist on their own way.” They were quick to welcome new members and visitors to our church—and in a very open way. They welcomed people to come in and be as much a part as they had been for so many years and still were. They made it so easy for younger people and newer people to be members here and to serve here!

I could name so many people who were here in 2005 who are no longer with us. Much of the good things happening in our church today are because of how faithfully and energetically they served here and were involved here in their younger years—but also because of how faithfully and energetically they supported and encouraged and followed and helped their church family and especially the leaders of their church in their later years.

I hope that we are all thinking this way as well. I hope that you are thinking of what your legacy will be to the next generations of members here. In 30 or 40 or 50 years, what will the younger members be saying about you—about us? May we all seek to follow the example that has been set for us so well—serving and supporting, working and encouraging, helping and following “not seeking our own advantage” or “insisting on our own way!”

Leaving a Faithful LegacyPastor Josh Wamble2023-01-24T11:01:55-05:00

Differences in English Bible Translations

by Pastor Josh Wamble

As you probably know, the bible was not originally written in English. Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and most of the New Testament was written in Greek. Several chapters in Ezra and Daniel as well as a few words and phrases in the New Testament were written in Aramaic. Many dedicated scholars, pastors, missionaries, and other believers have studied these original languages and devoted their lives to translating the different parts of the bible into languages that can be understood today.

About 500 years ago, men like William Tyndale, Myles Coverdale, John Wycliffe, and others risked their lives to translate the bible into English for the first time. Their motivation was to make it so that the regular person could read the bible for himself instead of having his biblical knowledge limited to what the priest told him it said. These men became convinced that if regular people were allowed to read the bible and preach the bible, God would use it to change lives. William Tyndale famously said, “I defy the pope and all his laws. If God spares my life, I will have it so that a boy that drives the plow knows more of the scriptures than [he] does.” Tyndale was convicted of heresy (for translating the bible) and strangled. Then his dead body was burned. John Wycliffe died of a stroke. The Catholic church allowed him to be buried because his was so loved by the people. However, about 30 years later, they dug up his body, burned his bones, and drowned the ashes in water.

Today, there are 7,388 languages spoken in the world. The full bible has been translated into only 724 of those languages. Another 1,617 have the New Testament only. 1,248 have some individual books of the bible. There are still 3,799 languages without the bible. In most of these cases, translation work has not even begun. More information about these statistics and the status of bible translation work around the world can be found here.

How different the case is for those of us who speak English! There are an estimated 900 different English translations of the bible (or parts of the bible)! We might ask, “Why are there so many?” and “Wouldn’t some of that effort be better spent working on languages that don’t have the bible?” Those are legitimate questions, but that this article will not be answering them. Instead, I want us to think about the English translations we do have and how they differ from each other. Not all English translations are equal. Some are better than others. Some are more faithful to the original than others. All 900 translations can be grouped into one of 4 categories, and I want us to briefly think about them below. There is some overlap in these categories; so, it is probably better to think of them as a continuum instead of hard boundaries. The picture above helps us to see what I mean.

1. Interlinear

Interlinear bibles are written in Hebrew or Greek and English. They are called interlinears because the lines are interchanged between the different languages. An interlinear New Testament will have a line in Greek then a line in English. The next line will be in Greek again followed by another English line. Each pair of lines go together. The first line will be in Greek. The next line in English will be arranged so that the English word is directly below the Greek word that it translates. These types of bibles are helpful for people who have some knowledge of Greek or Hebrew, but they are hard to read as a simple English translation. The words are in the order of the Greek or Hebrew bible which is not always the same order they would appear in English, and they are not very smooth or grammatically correct English.

2. Word for Word (Formal Equivalent)

ESV, NASB, KJV, NKJV, HCSB, etc.

In a word for word translation, the translator is attempting to render each Hebrew or Greek word into a corresponding English word. The goal is to take seriously not only the message of the book but the actual words that were chosen by the original author. If the bible is inspired by God, then we should take the actual words he inspired seriously and try to be as accurate as possible when translating those words into English or any other language.

These translations are good for reading, studying, teaching, and preaching. However, there are translators who do not think this is the best approach. They offer several criticisms of word for word translations. These translations are often charged with being “choppy” or “wooden.” They don’t always flow smoothly when reading them—especially when reading them out loud. Another criticism is that they are often hard to read because they don’t sound like natural English. The phrases or sentences are not always expressed the way that a natural English speaker would say them. Finally, sometimes translators make the argument that the meaning of a biblical passage is found in the sentences or paragraphs and not in the individual words. That takes us to the next category of English translations.

3. Thought for Thought (Dynamic or Functional Equivalent)

NIV, NLT, GNT, CEV, etc.

In a thought for thought translation, the translator is attempting to translate each Hebrew or Greek thought into a corresponding English thought. The meaning or message of the bible is expressed in words working together to form phrases and sentences and paragraphs not the individual words themselves. These translators want to help the English reader to understand what the original author meant by translating each Hebrew or Greek thought into an English thought not necessarily translating each Hebrew or Greek word into an English word. They often try to “smooth out” the Greek or Hebrew so that it sounds more like natural English. For example, they may take a long sentence that Paul wrote with 30 or 40 Greek words and divide it into several shorter English sentences that convey the same thought or meaning.

These translations can be good for reading large sections of scripture at one time. They can also be helpful for younger readers or adults who are not as good at reading. However, there are some criticisms of these translations as well. One criticism is that if God inspired the very words the original writers chose then faithfulness would require us to translate those very words into English and other languages. Two final criticisms are related to one another. First, in these translations, the translator is trying to translate the thought or message of the author, but they can only know those thoughts by the words the original author used. Secondly, the resulting translation ends up being closer to the translator’s interpretation or explanation of what the bible says than to the actual words of the bible itself.

4. Paraphrase

The Message, The Living Bible, etc.

Paraphrases are not translations at all. Instead, the goal is to take large sections of the bible and summarize them or restate them in someone else’s words. Because of this, these bibles often lack chapter and/or verse markings.

These bibles can be good for reading large sections of the bible, but since they are not really translations, it is best not to use them for study, preaching, or teaching.

We are in a unique position in human history. Never before have people had such easy access to the bible in the common language that they regularly speak. Even in today’s world, English speakers are in an exceptional position because of the many bible translations available to us. Not all of these translations are created equal. I recommend you get a good reliable word for word translation (We mainly use the ESV at our church.) to use as your main bible for serious study.

Differences in English Bible TranslationsPastor Josh Wamble2023-01-17T13:54:08-05:00

Six Books Every Christian Should Own

By Pastor Josh Wamble

Believers in 2023 are in a unique position. We have more access, easier access, and less expensive access to bibles (in many different English translations) and other Christian writings than at any other point in history!

Not all believers need to be scholars, but we should all have an interest in studying and understanding the bible. If God has spoken to us in his word, we should work hard to understand it that it might have an impact on the way we live. Another peculiar blessing of our place and time is that there are lots of other books and tools available that can help us to do just that. Below are six suggested books that every Christian or Christian family should own.

Bible

It is somewhat obvious that all Christians should have a bible. However, not all bibles are of the same quality or even usefulness. Maybe we will post an article here in the near future explaining the different types of bible translations and translation philosophy, but we don’t have room to go into those details in this article. It would be too long.

Every believer should have a good bible that is conducive to quality bible study. This means a bible translation that is in what is called the “formal equivalent” bible translation philosophy. In simple terms, this means a bible that is a “word for word” translation instead of a “thought for thought” translation or paraphrase. (Thought for thought translations or paraphrases are useful in some contexts and for some purposes, but they are not ideal for serious bible study.) Formal equivalent/word for word translations include the ESV, NASB, HCBS/CSB, KJV, NKJV, and etc.

A bible with cross references is helpful also. These bibles have cross references printed either in a center column or at the bottom of the page. They help readers make connections between different parts of the bible in a few different ways. They point out other places in the bible that deal with the same topic. In the NT, they point out where to find original OT passages that are being quoted. In the gospels, they point out where to find the same event being described in the other gospel accounts.

Finally, good study bibles can be very helpful. There are many different study bibles, and not all of them are of the same quality. The ESV study bible is very good as are Life Application study bibles that can be found in multiple translations. The Reformation Study bible is a good resource that can also be found in different translations. The study notes in these bibles help us to understand the context, history, and meaning of bible passages. Study bibles and some reference bibles also provide introductions to each book that can help us understand their context and the history that they are set in.

One caveat needs to be said about reference and study bibles. The text of the bible is inspired, infallible, and inerrant. It is absolutely true. However, the study notes, the introductions, and even the cross references are not inspired. They are the work of one person or a committee of people (depending on which bible it is). If it is a good study bible, then we can generally rely on them, but we should still test them against the other parts of the bible and make sure that we are convinced that they are reliable and not just take them as accurate without thinking the issues through for ourselves.

Bible Concordance

Concordances are essential tools in studying the bible. A concordance is essentially a large index of the bible. It allows you to look up a word and see every verse where that word occurs. Because different translations may different wording, many concordances are published as concordances of specific translations. This tool can be really useful to the believer who is trying to understand what they bible says about specific topics, how a certain word is used by different biblical writers, and how different verses or passages are related through common words, expressions, or phrases.

Bible Dictionary

Every believer or Christian family should also have a good bible dictionary and/or bible handbook. Bible dictionaries and bible handbooks are usually one volume books that are similar to encyclopedias. They contain short articles explaining different words used in the bible, names mentioned in the bible, measurements used during biblical times, and certain animals and even plants that are mentioned in the bible. Bible dictionaries and handbooks also help us to understand the geography and history of the places mentioned in the bible. Some even include maps and other illustrations. There ae several good bible dictionaries and handbooks put together by different Christian publishers such as Crossway, Broadman and Holman, and Zondervan.

Bible Commentary

Commentaries can be very helpful to believers as well. Commentaries are extended explanations of the bible. They come in two types. First there are one volume commentaries. These are large books that offer comments and explanations on either the whole bible or either the old or new testaments. These types of commentaries are attractive because you can purchase one or two books that cover the entire bible. For this reason, they are convenient and relatively inexpensive. The downside of single volume commentaries is that they are usually written by one person; so, the result is a single person’s perspective on every book in the bible. Because of this, sometimes, certain idiosyncrasies, quirks, and “hobbyhorses” or pet topics of the author can influence how the passage is explained. Nevertheless, there are some good one volume commentaries available including Matthew Henry’s commentary (though it is about 300 years old) The John MacArthur Bible Commentary, The New Bible Commentary: 21^st Century Version (Commentary on different books and sections in this commentary are written by 15-20 different authors), and others.

Other commentaries come in sets. These sets are produced by a specific publisher and overseen by an editor or group of editors. In commentary sets, each commentary covers a single book of the bible or a small group of books. The benefits of a commentary set include more space being devoted to each book of the bible so that specific verses and passages can be explained in more detail. Another benefit is that each volume is written by a different person, and usually it is a scholar who has a specific expertise in that particular book or section of the bible. The downside of a commentary set is that they are usually fairly expensive; however, they can be purchased one volume at a time spreading the cost out over a extended period of time. Some good and relative less expensive commentary sets include the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary and Tyndale New Testament Commentary sets and the Christ Centered Exposition commentary set.

Systematic Theology

A good systematic theology is another type of reference book that every Christian family should own. Systematic theologies are organized around topics. They take a specific topic, look at all the bible references to that subject, and try to systematize those references into a summary of all that the bible has to say about it. They include chapters or sections that cover what the bible says about God, creation, humanity, sin, Jesus, salvation, the Holy Spirit, the church (including church membership, church government structures, baptism, the Lord’s supper, etc.), judgment, the end times, heaven, hell, and etc. Most believers are not going to read straight through a systematic theology (most are well over 1000 pages long), but they are good for looking up a specific topic to get a good understanding of the bible’s teaching and to answer questions. Most also include indexes for looking up specific bible references or words. There are several good systematic theologies written by Baptist scholars from a Baptist perspective. Wayne Grudem has one called Systematic Theology. He has also condensed it down to a smaller version called Bible Doctrine, and an even smaller paperback version called Christian Beliefs. Another Baptist scholar named Millard Erickson has written a good systematic theology called Christian Theology. There is also a condensed version of this book called Introducing Christian Doctrine.

Hymnal

Every believing family should also own a hymnal. Singing is an important part of the Christian life. If you remember, in the gospel accounts when Jesus and his disciples celebrated the first Lord’s Supper, it says that they sang a hymn together. The book of Acts also records many times when the early believers sang songs together in their worship of God—both in gathered corporate services and in homes. Many of the NT letters also address singing together. In fact, as you know, the longest book in the bible (Psalms) is a collection of sons to and about the Lord. We are called to worship God together and individually. We should be worshipping together as families as well.

There are different types of hymnals available. Some recently published hymnals include older established songs as well as newer songs. The words of the songs we sing also have a teaching function. The things I believe are rooted in what the bible says, but the way that I think of those beliefs often come to mind in the words of good Christian songs that I have learned over the years worshipping with other believers.

Online Resources

Finally, many of the resources discussed above can be found online. There are some really good websites that give the user the ability to read multiple translations, commentaries, histories, geographic tools, and etc. These websites also allow the user to search the bible for different words or phrases taking the place of a written concordance. There are also hymnals that can be accessed online, and of course many hymns and worship songs are available on YouTube as well. A couple of the best online bible study websites are biblehub.com and biblegateway.com. Hymns and other songs can be found at hymnal.net and hymnary.org.

Online resources can be very convenient and cost effective. Almost everyone has access to internet resources via computer, tablet, phone or all three these days. However, of the six reference tools listed above, It is almost essential to have at least two of them as a hard copy—a good bible to study from and a good systematic theology book.

It is essential for believers to read, study, and know what the bible says. It is God’s word to us, and we should not neglect it. May these tools help us to know it better so that we might live it out in our own lives and through the life of our church!

Six Books Every Christian Should OwnPastor Josh Wamble2023-01-20T19:44:01-05:00

New Year’s Resolutions?

By Pastor Josh Wamble

I wonder how many of you made New Year’s resolutions for 2023. People have different feelings about resolutions. Some people like to start a new year off with commitments and resolutions—often involving exercise, or eating differently, or getting up earlier/going to bed earlier, or etc. Other people do not value making resolutions at all. They look at the situation practically and realize that most of the resolutions that are made are broken within the first couple of months if not the first few weeks or even days of the new year. I heard someone say recently, “My resolution for 2023 is to finish the things I started in 2022 because in 2021, I made a commitment to reach the goals I set in 2020 after falling short of them in 2019.”

There are a variety of thoughts about making resolutions, but periodic evaluation and setting goals in life is a healthy practice. In Joshua 24, Joshua has reached the end of his life and is giving his final challenge to the Hebrew people. He will no longer be around to lead them as they begin settling the promised Land. He knows that they will be tempted to acquiesce to their cultures, their lifestyles, and even their gods and religious practices. Joshua charges them to make a commitment now that when they take possession of the Promised Land, they will not fall into these temptations.

In Josh. 24:25-28, after the people committed themselves to remembering the Lord and serving him only, Joshua set up a stone as a memorial. He meant for this to be a reminder to them of their decision and commitment. As they continued in life after Joshua’s death, whether they were faithful to the Lord or not, this memorial would, hopefully, remind them of that commitment. If they were faithful, it would serve as an encouragement to them. If they did not remain faithful, it would (hopefully) serve as an indictment against them leading them to repent and turn back to the Lord.

These kinds of reminders and “signposts” or “road markers” in life can be helpful for everyone but especially for believers. At certain points in life, it is healthy to look back, and evaluate, and make adjustments. Birthdays are a good time to do this—look back over the past year and make honest assessments about how your life is going and changes or adjustments that might need to be made. Major life changes (weddings, births, moving to a new house or new city, taking a new job or promotion, etc.) lend themselves to this type of evaluation. Anniversaries and other annual events are a good opportunity for that as well.

Whether you make “official” new year’s resolutions or not, let me encourage you to take some time over the next few days as we begin a new year to make this type of evaluation. Maybe you want to look at your life in general, finances, health, relationships, or other things. Let me also encourage you to do this specifically with your relationship with God, your commitment to him, your church involvement, and other religious categories. Below is a short list of areas to consider.

1. Bible

Would you take some time and evaluate the time and effort you spend in reading and studying the bible? Do you have a deliberate plan for reading and studying the bible or do you just do so sporadically and when you can “find the time”? In John 17:17, Jesus prays that his followers (us included) would be sanctified in the truth. Then, he says that God’s word is truth. The Bible is what God uses to mold his people into the people that he would have us to be—righteous, gracious, merciful, humble, Christlike.

Many people make resolutions to read through the bible in the new year. Maybe you are one of those. (If so, there are links to several different plans to do just that at the end of this blog post.) But, maybe that seems too ambitious to you. You could decide to read either the OT or NT this year. You could commit to reading the whole bible in 3 years or 5 years. You could decide to read one book of the bible several times in the year (maybe once a month) and get really familiar with that book. Whatever you choose to do, would you at least take a few minutes and think about how you currently spend time in God’s word and how you might expand that in this new year?

2. Prayer

Would you take some time and evaluate your prayer life? In several of his letters, Paul says that he prays constantly. Hopefully you do as well. Hopefully, you are always praying whenever things come up in life or whenever people or situations come to mind. I want to challenge you to commit to prayer in an even more systematic way this year.

Maybe you can commit to more consistently praying with your church family (on Wednesday nights, on Sunday mornings at 9:00, or monthly at the men’s and women’s prayer breakfasts). Maybe you can commit to praying through the church’s prayer list daily during the week. Maybe you can commit to using the church’s directory as a prayer guide and pray for all the members of the church on a schedule that works for you (monthly, once every 2 months, etc.). Maybe you can commit to praying for your pastors and deacons and other church staff. Whatever you choose to do, would you at least take a few minutes and think about how you currently spend time in prayer and how you might expand that in this new year?

3. Encouragement

Would you take some time and evaluate how you encourage other believers? In Hebrews 10, God’s word tells us to consider how we might stir one another up to love and good deeds. One of the lines in our church covenant says, “We will seek to gather regularly to worship God, listen to the preaching of the word, and encourage one another.” I wonder if you ever spend time considering how you might be an encouragement to other believers—especially other church members.

Maybe you could encourage other members by attending church more consistently. Hebrews 10 also says, one of the ways we can stir one another up to love and good works is “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another . . .” Maybe you could take some time each week to send notes or cards of encouragement to other church members. Maybe you could join a Sunday School class or other bible study group and encourage others as you fellowship and study the bible together. Maybe you could encourage other church members by serving together in different ministries of the church. Whatever you choose to do, would you at least take a few minutes and think about how you currently spend time encouraging other believers and how you might expand that in this new year?

Again, whether you make “official” new year’s resolutions or not, let me encourage you to take some time over the next few days as we begin a new year to evaluate yourself, your life, and your relationship with God. May God use our individual commitments regarding the bible, prayer, and encouragement to make us more Christ-like followers and to strengthen and sanctify our church collectively over the next 12 months!

Bible Reading Plans

1. Robert Murray M’Cheyne bible in a year reading plan—https://www.mcheyne.info/calendar.pdf

2. Read through the whole bible in a year—https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-reading-plan/old-testament-and-new-testament.html

3. Read through the whole bible in a year chronologically—https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-reading-plan/chronological.html

4. Read through the whole bible in a year arranged by the bible’s storyline—https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/15998 (This one can be done individually or online with friends)

5. Read through the bible in a year one book at a time—https://www.navigators.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/navigators-book-at-a-time-bible-reading-plan.pdf

6. Read through the NT in a year—https://www.navigators.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/navigators-5x5x5-new-testament-bible-reading-plan.pdf

7. Read through the bible in two years—https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-reading-plan/busy-life-plan.html

8. Create your own plan—https://biblereadingplangenerator.com/?start=2023-02-01&total=365&format=calendar&order=traditional&daysofweek=1,2,3,4,5,6,7&books=OT,NT&lang=en&logic=words&checkbox=1&colors=0&dailypsalm=0&dailyproverb=0&otntoverlap=0&reverse=0&stats=0&dailystats=0&nodates=0

New Year’s Resolutions?Pastor Josh Wamble2023-01-03T14:03:20-05:00

Study through Isaiah: Isaiah 1:10-17

Recently, we began studying the book of Isaiah in Sunday School. This class meets every Sunday morning at 9:30 in the basement, and all adults are welcomed and encouraged to attend and participate. In case some of you are unable to attend, we will be posting the main points of each weekly study here on our church blog. I will be trying to post on Mondays of each week.

The second section we looked at is Isaiah 1:10-17. In these 8 verses we see:

1. God’s patience is clearly seen. At the end of the preceding section (v. 9), Isaiah told the people that it is only because of God’s mercy and grace that Judah had not been destroyed in his judgment. Isaiah 1:9 says that if God had not left a remnant (a few survivors) then Judah would have been wiped away by God’s judgment. In this passage (1:10-31), we see God calling the people of Judah to repentance—that they might be a part of the remnant or survivors. He tells them in verse 10 to “hear” and to “listen” to God’s instruction. God is calls them (and us) to himself and to his mercy and grace.

2. God’s hatred for false religion is seen. He tells them that he takes n pleasure at all in their sacrifices. He tells them to stop coming into his presence and making offerings. He says that those things are “detestable” to him. He “cannot bear” their assemblies. He says that he “hates them with all his being.” They are a “burden” to him and he is “weary of bearing them.” He says that he refuses to hear their prayers and hides his eyes from them. This is not because God is so harsh or insensitive or uncaring—we have already seen his mercy and willingness to shield his judgment from some survivors. What we see here is his absolute hatred for hypocrisy and false religion. In verse 13, he says that it is meaningless.

3. God provides the way out of this situation. In verses 16 and 17, he tells his people to (1) Wash themselves, (2) Make themselves clean, (3) Take their evil deeds out of God’s sight,(4) Stop doing wrong, (5) Learn to do right, (6) Seek justice, (7) Defend the oppressed, (8) Take up the cause of the fatherless, and (9) Plead the cause of the widow. However, he is NOT telling them (and us) to earn our way to him. He is not telling us to clean ourselves up by our own efforts so that we will be pleasing to him. He is telling them (and us) to turn back to him for cleansing—to repent of our sins—to come before him with sincerity, genuineness, trusting, and confessing our need of him.

Let us be careful that our worship and our lives are from a genuine and repentant heart. Let us sing with our heads—understanding/knowing/paying attention to what we are singing and with our hearts—feeling/loving/meaning what we are singing. Let us participate in Bible studies and classes and discussions not just to learn more information but to put that information to use in our lives that we might be more and more holy as we repent more and more of our sins. Let us serve for the good of the people we are serving and the glory of our savior not to make a name for ourselves or make others think highly of us, or only for the pleasure and satisfaction we get from it.

Study through Isaiah: Isaiah 1:10-17Pastor Josh Wamble2023-01-03T14:18:06-05:00

Honoring a Terrific Grandfather

Today, February 2, 2021, Groundhogs’ Day is my maternal grandfather’s birthday—Grandaddy Hinson. If he had lived this long, he would have been 90 years old today. He didn’t he was killed in a wreck in 2011 when he was 80 years old.

I realize that families have problems and not everyone has a great family, and I want to be sensitive to that. But, I do. One of God’s greatest gifts to me has been my family. I have had great parents, uncles/aunts, cousins, siblings, and grandparents.

My Grandaddy Hinson was born in 1932. He only went to school through the 8th grade (I think), but he was one of the smartest, wisest, and best people I have ever known. He spent his whole life farming, fishing, hunting, and raising a family. From a purely earthly perspective, I cannot imagine a better granddaddy than him! So much of what I think and how I think about life, people, and myself is because of him! I still think about him almost every single day!

It is good for us to reflect on the gifts that God has given us and to honor the people that He has used to make us who we are. Below is the eulogy that I wrote and delivered at his funeral service 10 years ago this summer.

Eulogy for Roy Franklin “Granddaddy” Hinson

June 13, 2011

Granddaddy was a lot of things to a lot of people.

He was a faithful loving husband.

In thirty years, I never saw or heard he and Grandmama fight or argue one time. I am sure they did, but I never saw it or heard it.

He was a good and caring father to my mama and her brothers.

He was a good brother.

He was a good son.

Of course, I knew him as granddaddy.

I can remember him getting mad three times in my life.

We were out in the side yard of the house on Marion Dodd Loop by where Richard’s dog Pepper’s house was. Me and Crissy and Jody were shooting a B B Gun toward the bean field. I still think I was pointing the gun toward a tree, but Granddaddy thought I was pointing it at Crissy. He jerked the gun out of my hand and spanked me with the stock of it. That was the only time he ever spanked me.

Another time, me and Jody were spending the night at their house, and it was time to go to bed. We were talking in the bed. He told us to be quiet a few times, and we kept talking. Finally, Granddaddy yelled from his bedroom: “I said to shut up.”

I also remember the only time I ever heard him cuss. I was sitting on the right fender of his 4020 and Jody was on the left fender. We were on the gravel by the shed about to go and do something. Granddaddy had gotten off the tractor to check something before we left, and he poked a hole in the oil filter or it came loose, or something because oil came pouring out all over. When he yelled, Jody and I looked at each other. We were shocked because Granddaddy didn’t talk like that. I had never heard him say anything like that before and I never did again.

If he were here, I’m sure he could tell us what year all of these things happened and how much rain we got that year and how the cotton crop was that fall.

I think the reason these stories stand out to me is because they were so rare. Only three times in thirty years did I ever see or hear him get mad.

A lot of Saturdays when I was growing up, mamma and Grandmamma and Crissy would spend the day shopping in Jackson, and Jody and I would spend the day with Granddaddy—riding the tractor with him, playing in the cotton trailers, fishing, or doing whatever he was doing. More than once, we would have to stop and drive to Jackson to jump-start their car where they had left the lights on. He never got mad or disgusted by that at all. He just laughed, and we would go do it. I think I remember one time even having to go do it twice in one day.

I also remember one winter it had snowed and the schools were delayed. Crissy and Jody and I were at the end of our driveway waiting on the school bus to come and Granddaddy drove up. He had been to the bank and brought us three candy canes. He told us to make sure that we ate them really fast so they would be gone before we got to school and we wouldn’t get in trouble.

I used to love spending the night or the weekend at their house for a lot of reasons. One reason was because he would let us stay up late. Our bedtime growing up was 8:00, but when we stayed there, we got to stay up and watch the news until after 10:00. Sometimes he would even stay up and watch The Honey Mooners with us. And, on occasion, he would even get us a piece of chocolate cake or pie for a midnight snack—but we had to promise not to tell Grandmamma.

One time me and Crissy and Jody had ridden our bicycles from their house on Marion Dodd Loop to the store. On the way to the store, we got chased by a dog at one of the neighbor’s houses. We were too scared to come back because of the dog, so we stood at the end of the road not knowing what to do. John Tate was with us, and he took his shoes off and started doing cartwheels or handstands. He thought if granddaddy was looking for us, he would be able to see his white socks sticking up better. After a while we saw Granddaddy driving toward us. He had gotten his binoculars out and seen us. He loaded our bicycles up and drove us to their house. On the way, he taught us how to get off of our bicycles and walk them passed a house with a dog because the pedaling made the dog think that we were kicking at him and he would try to bite our feet.

I used to love to spend the night at their house, but not by myself. I always wanted someone—Crissy or Jody—to stay with me. One time I was there by myself. I hadn’t said anything but Granddaddy could tell that I was homesick. He didn’t make a joke about it or ignore it, he told me about a time when he used to get homesick and how bad of a feeling that is.

When I was a kid, I thought Granddaddy knew absolutely everything. When I got older, I realized that he really did know everything. There was nothing he couldn’t do. And, if he didn’t know how to do something or fix something, he could always find a way or make a way. Not only that, but he also loved to teach other people how to do stuff. I remember lots of things that he taught me:

He taught me how to fish. How to bait a hook, cast without hooking someone behind me, how to get the fish off the hook. He never seemed to get tired of untangling my line or getting it out of a tree limb either.

He taught me how to shoot a gun.

He taught me how to drive a lawn mower.

One afternoon sitting under the back porch/patio area of their house, he taught me how to count the seconds that passed between when I heard thunder and when I saw lightening and tell whether a storm was getting closer or farther away.

He taught me how to pour a glass of Kool-Aid without spilling the whole pitcher on the counter.

He taught me how to shell black-eyed peas.

He taught me how to pat a dog on the side so that he would kick his back leg like he was scratching.

He taught me how to hold a fish so that I wouldn’t get stuck by his fin.

One day Granddaddy and Barry and Sammy Edmiston were going somewhere in the ton truck and me and Jody crammed in with them on their laps. Barry had picked a pecan up out of the yard and gave it to me to eat. He gave me the bitter orange part from inside the shell and told me to eat that. Granddaddy laughed and taught me how to separate the pecan next time so that it wouldn’t be bitter.

He taught me down at the shed one afternoon not to put a spray can in a fire or it would explode.

He taught me how you get a fishhook out of your hand if it gets stuck passed the barb.

He taught me how to read Reader’s Digest—especially the jokes sections.

He taught me how to like eating chicken gizzards.

He taught me how to get up and keep riding my bicycle whenever I fell off and skinned my knees up.

He taught me how to listen to my mama and do whatever she said. I didn’t always do everything he taught me, but I remember him teaching me that. And, if he was around, he made sure that I did it.

He taught me not to panic whenever the boat ran up on a stump. I knew that if Granddaddy was driving then he would be able to get it off if I just moved around to the back or whatever he told me to do.

He taught me to wear long sleeves when working outside in the summer to keep the sun off and to help stay cool.

You might be thinking that these are little insignificant things—and they are. But that is kind of the point—two points actually.

First, It is not just what he taught me. It is that he taught me these things. I remember not just the things that he taught me but I remember the way that he taught me, and the conversations we had—some of them almost word for word and exactly where we were and what we were doing.

Second, these are all little things, and if he hadn’t taught them to me then I would have learned them anyway. Someone else would have taught them to me. But, no one else had to because he did.

I realize that not everybody gets to have a Granddaddy like this, but, we did, and we are thankful!

Honoring a Terrific GrandfatherPastor Josh Wamble2023-01-03T17:54:57-05:00

They Made It Easy

Recently, we have had a number of older people at the church pass away, move away, move into a nursing home, or something else to that effect. It has really gotten me to thinking about what the church was like when I first moved here and how it has changed over that time. I moved to Louisville in December of 2005 and joined the church soon after.

At that time, with a few exceptions, the church was made up mostly of older people (60 and above) and a few younger people (30 and younger). There were hardly any members at all between the ages of 30 and 60. Most of the older members had been a part of the church for a long time. They had raised their families here, had faithfully served in leadership positions, had humbly served in different ministries, and had sacrificially given to the church and her ministries. Most of the younger members were very young—either seminary students fresh out of college or brand new believers. Many were from out of state. Few knew the history of the church or the community, but we were looking for a church family to join, serve, learn from, make mistakes in, gain experience among, and etc.

As we have been celebrating and mourning the several losses we have experienced lately, I have been thinking a lot about this generation of believers and the legacy they are leaving behind at FBC, Fairdale. I imagine that it wasn’t always easy for these older members to have a young inexperienced pastor or group of pastors in their 30s. I would have expected them to have a bit of a hard time with some of the changes that were discussed or put into place. I would have expected them to have been a bit hesitant to allow these younger people to serve in leadership or other positions in the church. It would have been easy for them to have resisted or blocked some of these things. They could have gotten disgusted or upset when mistakes were made, but they never did. They supported and encouraged and forgave and helped these younger leaders. They continued serving in various ways. They were quick to welcome new members and visitors in a fully genuine and willing way. They allowed us to be as fully members of the church as they had been for so many years. In many ways, they were ideal church members!

Over the last week, as we were thinking about and reminiscing about a recent death in the church, my thinking about this generation has crystallized in my mind. Their legacy, I think, is that they made it so easy to be church members here! They were generous with their church!

May we all seek to follow their example!

They Made It EasyPastor Josh Wamble2023-01-03T17:54:58-05:00

Private Worship

I don’t know what your devotion or individual worship practices look like, but I hope you have one! As followers of Jesus, we value worshipping together as a family of God. In fact, this is one of our church’s three core values—gospel, COMMUNITY, and mission. However, I hope that you also worship God individually.

Different people do this in different ways. Some have family worship times that might involve reading the bible, singing together, praying together, and etc. Others may spend some time at a specific point of the day reading the bible and praying. Lots of believers even use a devotional guide to help them in this practice. Especially at this time of the year, many people like to follow a bible reading plan. Some believers even like to begin the day and end the day with bible reading and prayer. In fact, Charles Spurgeon (a famous English pastor in the 1800’s) wrote a devotion guide called Morning and Evening. It contains 2 short devotional readings for each day of the year—one for the morning and one for the evening.

Recently I came across pair of hymns written in the late 1600’s. These hymns are complements to each other and are meant to be sing in the morning and the evening. In fact, they are called, “A Morning Hymn” and “An Evening Hymn.” They are both sung to the tune of the Doxology. (Actually, as best as I can tell, this is where the doxology came from.) The words to these two hymns are written below.

Again, I don’t know what your private worship habits are, but I hope you have some. If not, then consider making time this year to worship the Lord alone individually or as a family praising him and honoring him for all that he has done in your life. If singing (these hymns or other songs) help you to do that then use them as well.

A Morning Hymn

An Evening Hymn

Awake my soul and with the sun

thy daily stage of duty run;

shake off dull sloth, and early rise

to pay thy morning sacrifice

Lord, I my vows to Thee renew.

Disperse my sins as morning dew;

guard my first springs of thought and will;

and with Thyself my spirit fill.

Direct, control, suggest, this day,

all I design or do or say,

that all my pow’rs, with all their might,

in Thy sole glory may unite.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

praise Him all creatures here below;

praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;

praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

All praise to you, my God, this night

for all the blessings of the light.

Keep me, O keep me, King of kings,

beneath the shelter of your wings.

Forgive me, Lord, for this I pray,

the wrong that I have done this day.

May peace with God and neighbor be,

before I sleep restored to me.

Lord, may I be at rest in You,

and sweetly sleep the whole night through.

Refresh my strength, for Your own sake,

so I may serve you when I wake.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

praise Him all creatures here below;

praise Him above, you heav’nly host;

praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Private WorshipPastor Josh Wamble2023-01-03T17:54:58-05:00

Six Questions to Ask When Reading the Bible: Part Four

Hopefully you all are reading the bible regularly in your homes. As believers in Jesus, we should all love him and his word. As the psalmist says, it should be our delight. We should love reading his word and being transformed by it. Sometimes this may be easier said than done. Much of what is in the bible is very straightforward and easy to understand. However, there are some passages that are more difficult. We should be reading prayerfully and relying on the Holy Spirit to help us understand God’s word, and some passages require more study than others if we are going to understand exactly what is being communicated.

I want to offer 6 questions (Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?) that we can ask when reading the bible. Answering these questions will help us to come to a better understanding of those more difficult passages, but they will also help us even to understand the easier passages more fully and more consistently.

In order to keep these blog posts short enough to be read and digested in a timely manner, we will consider these questions over a few posts. This is the second. The others can be accessed below.

Part One Part Two Part Three

5. Why?

The fifth question that we need to think about and ask when we read the bible is “why?”. This question gets to the heart of the meaning of whatever passage you are reading. Why did the author write what he wrote? Why did the person speaking in the passage say what he or she said? Why did God decide to include this particular passage and these specific words in the bible? What is the purpose? What was the author trying to say—why did he write this?

Many passages in the bible are pretty straightforward and easily understood, but a some are more difficult. In 2 Peter 3;16, Peter, himself, says that there are some things in Paul’s letters that are hard to understand. So, how are we supposed to figure out the point of a difficult bible passage? When there is time, using some bible study tools can be helpful. You could use a bible dictionary or bible encyclopedia to discover some information about 1st century history, culture, customs, or etc. that may shed light on what the author is saying. When you don’t have as much time (or even when you do), noticing some things about the passage itself can help to shed light on the author’s purpose as well.

Look for words (or ideas) that are repeated throughout the passage. In Ephesians 1:3-12, Paul refers to Jesus at least 12 times. That is more than once per verse. He doesn’t always use the same exact word. Sometimes he says Jesus, sometimes Christ. Other times he uses “the Beloved,” “he,” “him,” “the messiah,” or other words, but he refers to Jesus at least 12 times in these 10 verses. That tells us that the emphasis in this passage is that the plan that God had before the foundation of the world to save his people centers on Jesus.

Next, look for words or ideas that are opposites. Sometimes biblical writers make their points by contrasting opposite ideas or concepts. In Galatians 5, Paul writes the famous passage about the fruit of the Spirit. The passage that comes immediately before this one is all about the fruits of the flesh. Paul is contrasting a life in submission to sin and temptation with a life in submission to the Holy spirit. In another familiar passage, Isaiah 53, Isaiah makes his point by contrasting God with people. In doing so, he shows that God is holy, people are not, yet God has taken on the position of people to provide salvation.

Sometimes, biblical authors use a series of progressions to make their points. This is most common in poetry. In Psalm 1, the author warns against walking, standing, and sitting in the ways of the wicked. In Isaiah 40, those who trust in the Lord will soar like eagles, run and not grow weary, and walk without growing faint. In the gospels, Jesus tells a parable against the pharisees where an owner of a vineyard is not happy with his tenants. He first sends a message by the hands of a slave. He repeats with a second and a third slave. Finally, he sends his own son.

Finally, when trying to understand the point an author is making, it is essential to pay attention to prepositions and connecting words. These words can be very small, but they are very important. The simplest of these words are “and,” “but,” and “or.” These indicate either a continuation, a contrast or distinction, or an alternative. Other words such as “for,” “to,” “against,” “over,” “however,” ‘therefore,” “so that,” “in order that,” and others are extremely important to make note of. They often help us to see and understand the connections between words, sentences, paragraphs, and who sections of books.

6. How?

The final question that you want to ask when studying the scriptures is the question of how—how do you apply this passage to our own lives? We do not want to be people who know the bible the way that we might know some piece of trivia. In fact, knowing the bible is not the point at all. The point is to put the bible into practice—it should affect the things that we believe, the things that we think, the things that we say, the things that we do.

We can help ourselves to answer this question by asking a few others:

Is the application spelled out in the passage? Sometimes, the passage you are reading will call you to a specific (positive) action or call you to stop acting in a certain (negative) way.

Is there a principle that is being exemplified here? Can this passage be “boiled down” to a universal/eternal principle that can then be applied to our present context?

Can you insert yourself into the story? This can be dangerous. You should proceed with this method of application carefully. Always keep the gospel in mind when putting yourself in a story. For example, people often want to put themselves in the place of David in the story of David and Goliath. We are sometimes told that like David, we should summon the courage to face the Goliaths in our lives. A better understanding would be to put ourselves in the place of the Israelites and be reminded of how God has provided for our salvation, protection, liberation, and etc. by sending a humble king (Jesus) to defeat our enemy (sin, death, shame, etc.) on our behalf.

Is this passage limited in some way that affects how you should apply it? Is the passage written to a specific group within the church (women, men, pastors, deacons, etc.)? Is the passage written specifically to Israel as a nation?

The point is that we want to make sure that we do not stop with knowing what the bible says and understanding it. We want to put the word into practice in our lives.

Finally, I want to make sure that these questions are a blessing to you and that you do not feel burdened by them. Please do not think of the questions in these posts as something that you have to do every time you read the bible. Don’t think that you have to sit down with a notebook and go through each question in a very programmed kind of way. For some passages, the answers to some of these questions may be more or less obvious. You may spend only a few seconds thinking through some of these questions and maybe a more substantial amount of time on others.

The hope is that thinking through and answering these questions will help us to understand the bible better and to put it into action in our lives more completely. Imagine a church full of people who study the bible even more and work even harder to understand and apply it to ourselves. Imagine a church where people know the bible even better and live the bible even more fully. Imagine the even larger impact we could have on our community and our world.

I pray that these articles would help us to become a church where this is more and more the case.

Six Questions to Ask When Reading the Bible: Part FourPastor Josh Wamble2023-01-03T17:54:58-05:00

Six Questions to Ask When Reading the Bible: Part Three

In order to keep these blog posts short enough to be read and digested in a timely manner, we will consider these questions over a few posts. This is the second. The others can be accessed below.

Part One Part Two Part Four

3. When?

A third important question to ask is “when.” Depending on the type of passage you are reading (history and narrative or prophecies and letters) this question may have two different answers. First you want to ask when was what you are reading written. You do not have to become a historian to read the bible, but knowing a little bit about the background of the passage can help you to understand it better. In many bibles, each book has a short introduction at the beginning that helps us to get a little background. For example, it is helpful to know that Paul wrote 1 Timothy after he had planted a church in Ephesus and left Timothy there to help it get established. It can be helpful to know that Paul wrote 2 Timothy while he was imprisoned and that it is the last book that he wrote. It can be helpful to know that Micah wrote his prophecy after the Assyrians conquered the northern division of the kingdom (Israel) but before the Babylonians conquered the southern division of the kingdom (Judah). It can be helpful to know that Moses wrote Genesis a few hundred years after the life of Abraham and looked back on those events.

There is a second aspect of this question that is even more important when did the events in the book take place (or at least in what order). When we read the prophets or the New Testament letters, the events taking place are happening at the same time or close to the same time that they are being written. However, in history or narrative books (books that tell a (true) story), often the writer is writing about them after they have taken place—sometimes many years after. It is important to know if the events in the passage you are reading happened before the fall or after, before the flood or after, before Israel was established as a nation or after, before the priesthood was established or after, before Jesus was crucified and ascended to heaven or after (or between those two events), before God made a specific promise or after, or etc. For example, when reading the passage where we are told about Abraham tasing Isaac to be sacrificed, it is helpful to remember that God had already promised Abraham and Sarah that he would create a great nation through Isaac and his descendants.

4. Where?

The next question is very similar to the last. When we ask where a passage int he bible is, we are talking about where in the story of the Bible.

The bible is made up of 66 different books written by several different people over a time span of several hundred years. However, those 66 individual books join together to tell one large story, and the events of each of them fit within the storyline of the whole bible. When reading any specific passage in the bible, it is important to note how it fits within the overall storyline of the bible.

This shouldn’t be more complicated than it has to be. The storyline of the bible can be summarized in four parts:

1. Creation

Creation is the first stage in the bible’s story. The bible says that God created everything that exists other than him. It says that God did not create the world out of anything. He created the world from nothing. It also says that the creation he made was good—all aspects of it. Nothing evil in the world is God’s fault or because of how he made it.

2. Fall

The second stage in the bible’s story is the fall—when Adam and Eve fell into sin and took the rest of creation (including all other people) with them. This is the explanation for how evil and bad things entered the good creation that God made.

3. Redemption

The third stage in the story of God’s interaction with his creation is the longest. This is the majority of the bible, and this stage itself has several sub-stages. We read about creation in the first two chapters of Genesis. Adam and Eve fall into sin and carry the creation along with them early in Genesis 3. In Genesis 3:15, God made a promise to undo what Adam and Eve had done. We can understand the entire rest of the bible (starting with God driving Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden and ending with Jesus’ return at the end of Revelation) as the story or history of how God has kept that promise!

4. Consummation/Completion

This final stage int he story occurs when Jesus returns and completes the plan of salvation/redemption that God has been working toward since before the creation of the world.

When reading a passage from the bible, it is vital to know which stage of the bible’s story it is a part of —and where in that stage. For example, we find the ten commandments listed in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Many people reading one of those passages come to the conclusion that if they just obey those commandments perfectly then God will be pleased with them and they will be saved. However, if we keep in mind where those passages are located within the progress of God’s work of salvation/redemption, then we realize that the plan all along was to provide salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus. Read in the proper context, we understand the 10 commandments to be a description of God’s character, a standard for people to measure themselves by, and proof that we are not able to measure up to God’s standard on our one. We need someone to do it for us!

Finally, this discussion could be discouraging to some of us—especially newer believers—who may not have a good grasp on the history of biblical events. I don’t want it to be and hope that it will not be. Each of us are learning about God and about how he has worked through history all the time. I know the history of the biblical events now better than I did several years ago. Lord willing, by continuing to read the Bible and the Holy Spirit continuing to work through it, I trust that I will know it and understand the significance of it even more and more as the years go on. If you are a new believer or if you have not read the bible much, you may not know much about the history in the bible. You may not even know who Abraham is.

If this is the case for you, let me encourage you with a few of things:

Firstly, keep reading. The more you read, and re-read, the more you will understand and remember.

Secondly, read different parts of the bible. Don’t discouraged by not understanding every thing or how it all fits together. That will come in time. A bible reading plan can be helpful for this, but if you use one and get behind don’t be too discouraged. Maybe take a yearly bible reading plan and read through it in 2 years or 3 instead of 1.

Thirdly, make it a priority to be reading and studying the bible with the church as often as possible. You should try to be present for the preaching of the word as often as you can. When we preach the bible, we not only try to explain and apply a particular passage of the bible, we also try to put that specific passage being preached in the context of the whole bible and explain how it fits into the overall story of the bible. Moreover, the more you are in bible studies and Sunday School classes the faster you will pick on these things.

Fourthly, a good children’s bible can help with this as well. There are a lot of children’s bible published that are just a collection of bible stories. Those can be helpful to get to know what is in the bible. But, really good children’s bibles not only introduce the stories of the bible, they explain the one overall story of the whole bible and how those individual stories fit into it in a simple understandable way. Sometimes adults may feel self-conscious or too prideful to read a book written for children. Don’t. Understanding the bible is too important for that. I have a couple of really good children’s bibles that I look at and use from time to time for this purpose.

Finally, If this is a need you have or something you are interested in, please let one of your pastors know. I have a few books that I could recommend to you or let you borrow. Your other pastors can as well.

Six Questions to Ask When Reading the Bible: Part ThreePastor Josh Wamble2023-01-03T17:54:59-05:00