The Bullpen with J.D. Greear

By J.D. GreearReligion & Spirituality Christianity

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The Bullpen with J.D. Greear episodes

June 13, 2022Can a Christian Be a Socialist? Part 2
In the second of two parts on the topic, Pastor J.D. addresses whether or not a Christian can be a socialist.
Show Notes:
Two ways socialism fails as a worldview biblically:
Human depravity: all humans in power grow depraved.
The US has typically understood that it is better to keep power distributed via checks and balances. Government by its nature has incredible power, and when they are put in charge of everyone’s livelihoods, massive corruption is almost always the result.
Best to keep the economy free and let the market keep people fair.
If you assume everybody is depraved, the question is how powerful you want any one group depraved people to hold. I’d rather them hold a knife than a gun. So I prefer the way a free market keep’s people’s depravity in check to a group of government bureaucrats with much more expansive power.
Second thing: Human dignity: God gave humans the ability to prosper. Government needs to get out of the way. When humans are given freedom and obstacles are removed, they prosper.
Governments don’t help people by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.
So, bottom line: Government can help us play fair, but it can’t replace human initiative and should itself be held in check because government leaders are still human, and subject to the same vices they are trying to prevent in others.
What does the Bible say? We always need to be careful, because terms like capitalism and socialism are terms developed long after the Bible, but there are certain principles that apply:
The Bible encourages human initiative—it certainly commends private property ownership, and it warns us against unchecked depravity.
Economically: Time and time again, socialism has destroyed countries that embrace its ideology.
A lot of modern socialists cite countries like Sweden, Denmark, and Norway as examples of socialism’s “success.”
But those countries don’t really have socialist systems – at least not fully. They’re more like welfare states, with some state-run entities (like health care), but those state-run entities are supported by an underlying market economy.
We live in a fallen world… it will never be perfect. Socialism is a utopic vision. The free market is built on the understanding that until Jesus comes back all human structures, including economics, will be depraved, and the best way to keep depravity in check is to keep power distributed across people than concentrated in the hands of a few.
Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question.
As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast!
Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
13 min
June 06, 2022Can a Christian Be a Socialist? Part 1
In the first of two parts on the topic, Pastor J.D. addresses whether or not a Christian can be a socialist.
Show Notes:
This is a great question, and while we don’t usually get into partisan politics on this podcast or in my preaching, this is a little different. If we’re honest, socialism is a worldview that’s also becoming increasingly prevalent in our culture, both explicitly and implicitly.
A 2020 poll showed that 40% of Americans had a favorable view of socialism, up from 36% in 2019.
I saw a survey that said 47% of millenials and 49% of Generation Z viewed socialism as favorable.
So, what is socialism?
The World Socialist Party (WSP) of the United States says: “The establishment of a system of society based on the common ownership and democratic control of the means and instruments for producing and distributing wealth by and in the interest of society as a whole.”
The government becomes the sole authority and controller of the means of production. So, in reality, it’s under control of an oligarchy, not individuals.
What is the difference between communism and socialism?
Interestingly, the WSP/U.S. says that these terms are synonymous. But, technically socialism usually refers to an economic system in which the state controls most businesses and factories (the “means of production”) while communism usually refers to a system where the state controls not just those things but also owns most of the property.
We should at least recognize that socialism definitely arises out of an underlying ideology.
Specifically, Marxism, put forth originally, of course, by Karl Marx. Marx was not a good man: He was a misogynistic, racist tyrant. His own son called him a devil.
He hated Christianity, which he labeled as a source of oppression. Religion, he wrote, is the “opium of the people,” and for communism to prosper, the church needed to be replaced by the state in the hearts and minds of the people.
Marx’s successors – Stalin, Castro, Pol Pot, etc.–have all shared that same view.
Dr. David Jeremiah has a great little book on this called Socialism: What It Is. What It Means for You. Dr. Jeremiah writes that…
Marxism is totalitarian
One of the key ideas of Marxism is a total, undying devotion to the state. There is no individual ownership of property, there is no free thinking, there is no free speech–in fact, totalitarianism essentially removes the meaning of truth, and the state attempts to define truth as whatever the state says truth is.
Marxism seeks the destruction of the nuclear family.
Marxism is divisive
It splits people into two categories: the oppressed and the oppressors, pitting them against each other.
Marxism is deadly
Socialist countries have a staggering death toll resulting from political carnage and state-ordered deaths to political opponents:
Latin America: 150,000
Eastern Europe: 1 million deaths
Vietnam: 1 million deaths
Africa: 1.7 million deaths
Cambodia: 2 million deaths
N. Korea: 2 million deaths
USSR: 20 million deaths
China: 65 million deaths
Next week, we’ll talk about two ways socialism fails as a worldview from a biblical perspective.
Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question.
As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast!
Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
12 min
May 30, 2022In Light of the Sexual Abuse Report, Why Remain In the SBC?
In a special episode of the Ask Me Anything Podcast, Pastor J.D. has recorded a message addressing the recently published report from the Sexual Abuse Task Force of the SBC.
Show Notes:
One of the questions I’ve gotten a lot since the publication of the SBC’s Sexual Abuse Task Force Report on May 22 has been, what does it mean to be a part of a group of churches that has this deep sin in its past? Are you going to stay in that convention?
First, I want to affirm that this is not the time to justify staying in the SBC or defending it. This is a time to lament and repent.
But, since I have been asked that question, I do want to take the time to answer it:
The actions of those noted in the report do not reflect the will of the body.
I’ve always thought of my presidency and work in the convention as trying to keep the messenger’s convention out of the hands of a few who do not reflect the attitude of the SBC and seek to impose their will on the SBC. I believe my role was to stand in that gap and say, “You cannot have the power of the SBC. The people don’t want that.”
If there is one note of encouragement in all of this, it’s the fact the messengers themselves called for this report. This report was not imposed from outside or even called for by a leader—it was called for and voted on by the messengers.
To note, the SBC has a rather unique structure that allows this. This would not be possible in most denominations. It is a biblical and wise safeguard.
I want to be in a convention where the people have the power, because as we see, the leaders go corrupt quicker than the people!
We are already seeing the effect of change as new people come onto the Executive Committee.
The current Executive Committee staff did not know anything about some of the most egregious systemic failures, and that the current Executive Committee board and staff have already acted swiftly to refute and reverse what they can. The headlines aren’t clear about that, so our people aren’t either.
So, what has to change?
People: This is a time to repent.
Pastors: We need a commitment to raise awareness.
Policies:
Commitment to transparency
Shift of priority from protection of reputation of an institution to protection of victim
Shift of benefit of doubt from leaders to victims
Not allowing bureaucratic mumbo jumbo and legalese to keep us from doing the right thing
Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question.
As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast!
Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
13 min
May 23, 2022What Do We Preach When We Take Communion?
In this week’s episode of the Ask Me Anything Podcast, we listen in as Pastor J.D. talks about communion during a recent sermon.
Show Notes:
Three words arise out of Paul’s theology of communion that you should remember in every communion service
Proclamation
Participation
Examination
Proclamation (verse 26)
Normally you think of me, standing here, as the proclaimer, and I am. But Paul says the Lord’s Supper is itself a proclamation—the bread and cup are like visual aids; a sermon prop Jesus gave us to help us better reflect on the gospel.
The first thing communion proclaims is that we need to be saved!
Second, the bread and cup proclaim that you can be saved!
Third, we proclaim that suffering and death are not the end.
This table proclaims, “Death is not the end! Poverty is not the end. Jesus rose, and he will return again.”
This table proclaims that our hardship, like Jesus’ cross, is part of bringing God’s good plan into the world.
Fourth, this table proclaims that this church is first and foremost a community of the forgiven.
The Lord’s Supper is a sermon, a proclamation, that destroys all these divisions.
Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question.
As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast!
Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
15 min
May 16, 2022Do Jewish People Go to Heaven? What About Sincere People of Other Religions?
In this week’s episode of the Ask Me Anything Podcast, Pastor J.D. answers a question from one of our listeners, Linda, about whether or not people of other faiths go to Heaven.
Show Notes:
For a while, the Hebrew “religion” was the only religion God had given—they were God’s chosen people in the Old Testament.
The Apostles taught Jesus as the only way to salvation. Jesus’ interaction with Gentiles was very infrequent, and his statement about being “the way, the truth, and the life” was spoken to Jews, in a Jewish context.
But that wasn’t a departure from the Jewish religion; instead, Jesus taught that it was a fulfillment of the Jewish religion. The Apostle Paul explains in Romans 4 that Jews in the Old Testament were saved in the same way we’re saved now—they just were saved by looking forward to the Messiah, and we’re saved by looking back at the Messiah.
The bigger question asked is about sincere people in every religion. There are five general views on this:
Universalism: Believing that God reveals himself to everyone, and so just by merely being human, all of us are saved.
Pluralism: Everyone essentially believes in the same God, but has a different name.
Inclusivism: Jesus is the only way, but faithful believers of any faith are saved
Anonymous Christian Thesis: A person may not claim to be a Christian, but they might see the stars and the moon and all of creation and believe in a creator, and then God counts them as saved because they accept general revelation.
Post-Mortem Evangelism: There is a chance to be saved after death… Jesus will witness to a person upon death to those who have not been evangelized.
Exclusivism: You must have explicit faith in Christ and the gospel during your life to be saved.
That last one is what I believe the Bible teaches.
All of this is about bringing God glory (Romans 3: just and the justifier; Romans 9: wonder at his mercy; Isaiah: God would send salvation that his name would be great on the earth and all would know that salvation belongs only to God.)
Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question.
As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast!
Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
16 min
May 09, 2022What Are the Most Essential Traits of a Multiplying Leader?
In this week’s episode of the Ask Me Anything Podcast, Pastor J.D. defines what it means to be a multiplying leader.
Show Notes:
While a good leader can lead an organization for a time, the world is realizing the value of multiplying leadership that outlasts just one leader.
This idea has been making the rounds even in the secular world recently, as businesses and other organizations have started to realize the value of multiplying leadership. Liz Wiseman’s book, Multipliers, is popular in the business world—her principles don’t claim to be rooted in Christianity, but they do show how much the secular world is “leaning in” to these principles.
Some of you may think, “I wouldn’t count myself as a church leader, so do these principles really apply to me?” I promise you, they do! The gospel teaches us to be disciple-making disciples. No matter your stage of life, you and I are responsible to be disciple-making disciples. That’s how the Great Commission goes forward!
I want to give you five words that help define what it means to be a multiplying leader:
Clarity
Familiarity
Proximity
Equity
Humility
Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question.
As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast!
Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
14 min
May 02, 2022What Does It Mean to “Be Fruitful and Multiply?” How Does It Apply to the Single & Infertile?
In this week’s episode of the Ask Me Anything Podcast, Pastor J.D. answers a question from a listener named Caroline who asks what the command to “be fruitful and multiply” means, especially for the single and infertile.
Show Notes:
Every few years at our church, we try to do a series on dating and relationships. When we do, I am always aware that well over half of the people listening to me are single, whether for a season or for a lifetime. A lot of times we talk about marriage as the “ultimate state” of Christianity, and if you don’t get there, something went wrong. But that’s just not the case at all.
Here is the biblical truth, and it’s a little counter-cultural: earthly families are just temporary stand-ins for heavenly realities. Paul said that marriage is really just a picture of Christ and the church. It doesn’t mean it’s not important or that we don’t devote ourselves to it, but it is temporary. There are several examples throughout the Bible and Jesus’ life and teachings in particular that teach this.
John Piper says: “Jesus was (in Matt. 19) calling out a new family where single people in Christ, or people not in traditional families, are still full-fledged family members on par with all others, bearing fruit for God and becoming mothers and fathers of the eternal kind. Marriage is temporary, and it will finally give way to the relationship to which it was pointing all along: Christ and the church…”
So, marriage is not permanent, nor is singleness, nor is physical childlessness. Because of that, I would say that spiritual offspring is even more important — more eternal — than biological offsprings because that is the ultimate fulfillment of being fruitful and multiplying. If you’re single, you can intentionally devote yourself to raising up spiritual sons and daughters in the faith. That is the fulfillment of that command.
Now, to be clear: it’s ok to mourn the lack of an earthly marriage, or the lack of the ability to have biological children. That’s a real loss, and I completely understand that. But by God’s grace, even that very real grief can be overshadowed by a joy of having spiritual children and being a part of their lives.
Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question.
As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast!
Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
11 min
April 25, 2022How Do I Know Where the Holy Spirit Is Leading Me?
In this week’s episode of the Ask Me Anything Podcast, we listen in to a recent sermon where Pastor J.D. answers a question about how we know where the Holy Spirit is leading us.
Show Notes:
In Romans 15, Paul gives us a great example of what it looks like to be led by the Holy Spirit. As we look at that text, we discover that all of us have a part to play in the kingdom of God.
All of us are called to ministry. The call to leverage your life for the Great Commission was included in the call to follow Jesus.
Jesus’ last words to his disciples were, “GO and make disciples.”
A lot of Christians are waiting on a still, small voice when they already have a very clear verse.
Not everything that comes from Heaven has your name on it.
The Spirit of God does reveal to us in dynamic and sometimes mystical ways exactly what your part to play in the kingdom of God is.
Three ways to find out what your calling is:
Through prayer
Through engagement in ministry
Through involvement in the local church
Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question.
As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast!
Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
11 min
April 18, 2022How Important Is Correct Doctrine?
In this week’s episode of the Ask Me Anything Podcast, Pastor J.D. answers a question from a listener about how important it is that someone’s doctrine be correct, and whether it’s worth confronting friends or family about.
Show Notes:
We’ve talked before about separating out doctrinal issues by order of importance, but I want to hone in on that to answer this question.
An Australian theologian named Michael Bird identified three levels of beliefs in the church—I’ve found this really helpful:
Category (1) Matters essential for salvation. (think: the doctrine of Christ, the way of salvation)
Category (2) Matters that are important to the faith and the integrity of the church. Though not necessarily essential for salvation like category 1 issues (think: inerrancy of the Bible; our understanding of sexual morality and gender and marriage, which are very serious issues.) Categories 1 and 2 are things Paul would tell us to divide over. (By the way, what to believe about items in these 2 categories are almost always spelled out clearly in Scripture)
Category (3) Matters of indifference. These are debatable things, preferences, convictions about the best application of Christian principles, and political philosophies. We’re not saying there is no right and wrong in this category, just the importance of agreement in these things does not rise to a category 1 or 2 level. Paul refers to this as “disputed matters.”
So to your question about when to approach someone on these issues, I think it’s always fair to have discussion about theological differences. This can help you catch onto the other person’s point of view while explaining yours.
But I definitely think it’s important to talk about first-order issues with friends and family who claim to be believers. In fact, that’s the most loving thing you could do. Because while it feels good to claim to be a Christian and to not have to believe any of the hard teachings, that’s a false sense of security and it is out of a place of love.
And that gets to the how question: you should always do this out of a place of love for the other person, you should always do it respectfully, you should always let them present their point of view… but you should also be clear about what Scripture says.
Pastor J.D. referenced an article by Justin Taylor, linked HERE.
Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question.
As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast!
Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
12 min
April 11, 2022Should I Get Married or Not?
In this week’s episode of the Ask Me Anything Podcast, Pastor J.D. answers the question, “Should I get married or not?”
Show Notes:
The first consideration for “Should I get married?” is… Do I have the gift?
First, realize that most people have a wrong conception of spiritual gifts–they assume that a spiritual gift is some kind of lifelong assignment that God stamps you with when you leave heaven, like a personality trait. Spiritual gifts don’t work like that, and definitely not the gifts of marriage and singleness. I’m going to show you this more when we study 1 Cor 12, but a spiritual gift, a charisma, is a special empowerment that comes on you for a time for some spiritual assignment.
ALL of us are single for time, which means all of us, for a time, have the gift of singleness and God will give us the spiritual empowerment to do it well.
You don’t look within and mystically see if you’ve got the gift of singleness. Don’t make it complicated. If you are single, you have the gift of singleness. At least for the moment. How do I know? Because you are single. And God will empower you to do it well. And if you are married, you have the gift of marriage. And you can know that because… you are married. Even if you felt like it was a mistake, you have the gift now, and God will give you the spiritual power to do it well.
The second consideration for “Should I get married?” is… “Is it the right time?”
There’s a really interesting verse in this chapter that really confuses people, but when you understand it in context it really makes sense: 26 I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is.
He goes on to say, “If you are married, stay married. If you are single, remain single.” And at first, it sounds like Paul is telling single people, “Don’t ever seek to get married.” But that’s not what Paul is saying. Paul says “in view of the present distress” remain as you are. Paul was writing in a particular era of history where persecution against Christians was at a fever pitch.
Here’s what it means for you: There can be situations, eras, in your life that make it more advantageous for you to wait. For example:
In a season where you’re trying to finish your education or get established in your career. Or maybe God has called you to focus on a mission assignment.
Or maybe you need time to heal from something. During those seasons where it is wise to wait, you can trust God that he’ll give you the spiritual gifting to wait. One of the reasons to be closely involved in the church is that other people can help you see when those times are.
When it’s time, don’t wait!
I love what Paul says in vs. 36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. But whatever you do, vs. 37, Paul says, “…be firmly established.” Let me follow Paul’s lead here and talk to the guys, since guys are typically the ones to take initiative in relationships.
Guys: Be firmly established. Are you going to marry her or not? Make up your mind.
And, guys, if you know it’s not time for you to get married, be firmly established and don’t lead her on. Get on with what God is doing in your singleness.
Girls, you too—don’t lead the guy on. Dating is a road that leads to marriage, and if you’re not ready for the destination, stay off the road!

Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question.
As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast!
Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
12 min

About The Bullpen with J.D. Greear

From the publisher's feed

Every sermon starts with more than can fit into a message. For years, Pastor J.D. Greear has filled his sermon notes with extra illustrations, questions, insights, and rabbit trails that never made…