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Archives For September 30, 2012

Praying for church revival

Meredith Flynn —  October 8, 2012

HEARTLAND | Meredith Flynn

Editor’s note: Southern Baptists have been called to pray for 40 days or 40 hours prior to this fall’s election through the 40/40 Vigil. Today’s Heartland post is from Day (or Hour) 13. Go to 4040prayer.com to read more prayer prompts and to find out how to join the vigil.

Scripture for reflection and preparation

“In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created.” John 1:1, 3

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.” Romans 3:23-25

“But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:5-6

REVIVAL ROOTED IN GOD – Revival begins when God’s people turn back to God.

PREPARATION

  • Praise God for who He is
  • Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing
  • Allow His Spirit to draw you near
  • Listen as He speaks to you

ASK GOD TO…

  • Choose to send revival at this time
  • Help Christians regain their understanding of His holiness
  • Convict Christians that they are to be completely dependent on Him
  • Restore in Christians an understanding of the destructive power of sin
  • Remind Christians of His great love for them
  • Remind Christians of His great sacrifice on their behalf through Jesus
  • Raise up Spirit-filled leaders to call the church to holiness

THANKSGIVING

  • Thank God for hearing you
  • Trust that God is at work to accomplish His will
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Why God doesn’t tell us everything

Meredith Flynn —  October 4, 2012

Editor’s note: Trevin Wax is managing editor for LifeWay’s “The Gospel Project.” This column is excerpted from Baptist Press.

COMMENTARY | Trevin Wax

It’s Wednesday night, and I’m helping our kids get their shoes on, jackets on, and Bibles ready as we’re about to rush to church. I hustle them out the door, tell my wife we’re waiting for her in the car, and then load them into the van.

Along the way, I tell Timothy (our 7-year-old): “Watch out for the puddle in the driveway. Zip up your jacket. Open the door for your sister.” He gives me the exasperated look that smacks of a bad attitude, and I ask him what his problem is.

He lets me know: “People tell me what to do all day long. Before school. During school. At lunch. During class. When I get home. I just get tired of everyone else being in charge.”

“So you want to be in charge?” I ask him.

“Yes. I want to be in charge and make my own decisions,” he tells me.

Thinking this might be a good time to wax philosophical, I say, “Well, son, that day is coming. But right now, other people are in charge, and the reason we’re in charge is because God has told us to be. God wants us to do our best to help shape you into the kind of person who can make wise, God-honoring choices on your own.”

He nods. He knows.

But I keep going.

“One day, you’ll leave home. You’ll go off to college, and no one is going to be telling you what to do every day. You’ll be on your own, making decisions. And I want you to be ready for that day.”

At this, the weariness of the day overcomes Timothy, and the vision of such independence overwhelms him. He wails. Big tears coming down.

“That makes me so sad! I don’t want to leave home!” He is hysterical. “Why do you say that? I don’t want to think about that.”

I sigh, put my hand to my head, and try not to smile. So much for waxing philosophical. Now, it’s time to reassure him.

“Timothy, that day is far away, and by the time you get there – trust me – you’ll want to be on your own, making those kinds of choices.” He is comforted. Crisis averted. I make a mental note: “Don’t bring up college again.”

Afterward, my wife and I were talking about that conversation, laughing about how the thought of independence overwhelmed our son. As adults, we can look ahead to his future and can envision him as an independent young man, mature in his faith, making wise choices.

As a child, our son wants to get there, but he can’t imagine what that would be like. The very thought of being an adult scares him. There are too many unknown variables.

And then, I realize why God doesn’t tell us everything about our future. He lays out the vision of who we will be – people walking in a manner worthy of Christ, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. But He doesn’t tell us everything this journey will entail. He doesn’t tell us everything we will accomplish along the way.

Sometimes I’ve wondered why God doesn’t reveal the specific plan He has for all of our lives. Now, I realize it’s a good thing He doesn’t.  We’d wonder how in the world He will manage to make us resemble Christ in so many surprising ways.

And the thought of the suffering, pain and responsibility it will take to get us there – to form us into that kind of person … well, if college is enough to overwhelm a 7-year-old, then maybe the specifics of how we will become more like Christ over a lifetime would be too much to handle.

Better instead to listen to the loving voice of our Father, who seals us with His Spirit and promises to renew our humanity day by day as He remakes us into the image of His Son.

Better instead to take our baby steps as we wobble down the journey of life, basking in our Father’s good pleasure, trusting in His Son’s sacrifice when we fall, and leaning on the power of the Spirit to pick us back up again and to help us continue the walk.

God gives us the big picture of our future. And it’s glorious!

But He chooses not to fill in all the details for us. And that’s a good thing.

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At church’s ‘Great Debate,’ speakers tackle one-issue voting

Meredith Flynn —  October 2, 2012

THE BRIEFING | Posted by Meredith Flynn

It wasn’t a typical Sunday night at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Decatur. While Tabernacle Pastor Wes Feltner did occupy the worship center platform, he was joined by four panelists to whom he served as moderator.

Billed as the “Great Debate: Faith and Politics 2012,” the panelist were there to discuss, “How high the wall? Faith, Politics and the Public Square.”

One-issue voting proved to be a hot topic among the panelists, who came from a variety of perspectives.

“It’s not wrong, but I do have concerns with it,” said Shaun Lewis, who ministers to Illinois lawmakers through the Capitol Commission. “The problem being one issue voting tends to define the church by that one issue and it does a lot of damage to the image of the church. It shifts the identity of the church to elevating one issue more than it should be.”

Chad Brand, a professor of theology at Southern Seminary, added, “There are many issues we ought to be concerned about. We cannot help ourselves from reacting to certain issues. The church is gifted with diverse people. We can’t let ourselves be driven by gay rights and abortion. We must recognize there are other issues.”

James Estep, a dean at Lincoln Christian College and Seminary in Lincoln, Ill., said one solution is to train young thinkers to look critically at the issues. “It is essential to have a strong education system so you have intelligent voters to make informed decisions,” he said. “That one issue, 10, 20 years later might not be an important issue anymore.”

Reported by Lisa Sergent, contributing editor of the Illinois Baptist. Look for the full story in the October 8 issue, or read it online here.

In other news:

Gender-specific events banned by school district
A school district in Cranston, Rhode Island, has banned father-daughter dances and mother-son baseball outings, which are gender-specific and could be interpreted as going against state law. The decision came in response to a complaint from the ACLU on behalf of a single mother whose daughter could not attend a father-daughter dance because she did not have a father in her life. According to the Providence Journal, the Cranston School Committee soon will consider a resolution asking lawmakers to modify state law to preserve the father-daughter dances. Read more at BPNews.net.

Mohler on ‘Jesus’ wife’ claim
Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said a small fragment of papyrus said to mention Jesus’ “wife” is “sensationalism masquerading as scholarship.” After Harvard professor Karen King announced in mid-September the discovery of the tiny (smaller than a business card) document, Mohler blogged about the real meaning of the supposed discovery. “…Do not miss what all this really represents – an effort to replace biblical Christianity with an entirely new faith.” Read Mohler’s full blog post here.

Pakistani Christians victimized
As many as 600 families were forced to evacuate their neighborhood after a 14-year-old girl in Pakistan was accused of blasphemy. Rimsha Masih has since been released on bail and Khalid Chisti, the Muslim cleric who accused her, was arrested when witnesses alleged he framed the girl. Chisti reportedly had earlier called for the massacre of Christians in the neighborhood. The displaced families were assisted by Baptist Global Response partners, who helped by providing meals and praying with them. Read the full story at BPNews.net.

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Blind faith

Lisa Misner —  October 1, 2012

HEARTLAND | Nate Adams

About a month ago, our family dog Willy went blind. When we adopted him from the shelter as a puppy, we knew he might have some health issues. During his first check-up, the veterinarian said it looked like he was made up of spare parts. For one thing, his eyes didn’t quite match, and it turns out one of them probably never did work. So when the retina detached from his good eye last month, he was left in the dark. 

This actually happened the same week that we took our youngest son Ethan off to college. So it was already a pretty emotional time for my wife Beth. I thought I was helping by suggesting that we return the dog to the shelter. I know better now.

So because of my wife’s compassionate heart, we are now learning to be masters to a blind dog. Let me share with you a little of what we’re learning.

First, unless everything remains pretty much the same, Willy has to bump into things and learn by trial and error. The only time he seems to be able to avoid this discomfort is when we’re clearly guiding him with our voices, or with a leash. 

Willy still loves going on long walks, even without his sight. Yet somewhat surprisingly, he still sometimes disobeys our voice, or pulls the other way on the leash. It’s almost as if he feels he knows better than those of us with greater intelligence, and sight. 

Sometimes God allows us to learn from our mistakes and develop our spiritual senses.

Willy’s other senses, like smell and hearing and touch, have become much more important to all of us. Because he no longer sees things the way they truly are, he has to sense things in a less than perfect way, or rely on the voice commands of those of us who can see. 

Willy always enjoyed being around us, but now more than ever he wants to be near us. Whenever he is awake he wants to be where he can hear us. And when he can hear us, he wants to come close to feel our touch. That’s when he seems completely at peace. In fact, the only time I’ve really heard him whine or complain since losing his sight is when he thinks we’ve left him alone.

I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose sight so suddenly and completely. Or maybe I can. Maybe you can too.

There are times when it seems that I just can’t see things, or can’t see where things are going, with the clarity or certainty I would like. Things in my family, my work, my church, things in Baptist life, things in our nation, things on the world scene – all seem to be less predictable, less comfortable than in the past. 

In times like these, we can all learn some things from a blind dog. Our loving Master knows and sees everything perfectly. It’s silly for us to pull in different directions than He is leading, or to move contrary to His word, or His Spirit’s voice. Yet sometimes He will allow us to bump around on our own, to learn from our mistakes and develop our own spiritual senses more.

As we walk with Him by faith, we learn that none of the discomforts of change or uncertainty need threaten us, if we persistently pursue His voice, His touch, and His presence. That’s when we experience peace, even if the entire world seems to be rearranging the furniture of our lives. 

I would never have wished blindness on our dog, and sometimes it is frustrating to be his master. Yet there is a new closeness in our relationship that did not exist before. Through his blindness, Willy is learning how deeply and desperately he needs a loving master to navigate the unprecedented changes of his life. And his blind faith is inspiring me to do the same. 

Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association. Respond to his column at IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.

In Heartland
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