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Archives For November 30, 2012

Why do Christians suffer?

Meredith Flynn —  December 6, 2012

Phillips_pullquoteCOMMENTARY | Rob Phillips

Horatio G. Spafford was a prominent attorney in Chicago in the 1800s and a friend of evangelist Dwight L. Moody. While Spafford was both respected and comfortable, he was not free from severe hardship.

First, he lost his 4-year-old son to scarlet fever. Then his real estate investments along Lake Michigan literally went up in flames in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Not long after that, his four daughters drowned in a shipwreck, and his wife Anna survived the ordeal only because the ship’s debris buoyed her as she floated unconscious in the Atlantic Ocean.

Crossing the sea to join his bereaved wife, Spafford was called to the captain’s deck as the ship sailed past the foamy deep where his daughters were lost. The captain informed him that the waters there were three miles deep. Returning to his cabin, Spafford penned these words to the now-famous hymn:

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul

Why did such tragedy befall this godly man? Spafford may have wondered why, but ultimately he rested in the sovereignty of God.

We can better appreciate God’s sovereignty, even in the darkest nights, by observing 10 reasons we suffer, according to Scripture.

1. We suffer because we sin.
2. We suffer because others sin.
3. We suffer because we live in a sinful and fallen world.
4. We suffer because God allows us to make real choices.
5. We suffer to make us long for eternity.
6. We suffer to keep us from something worse.
7. We suffer to share in the suffering of Christ and be more like Him.
8. We suffer to honor God.
9. We suffer to grow spiritually.
10. We suffer to better anticipate the glories of heaven and the world to come.

Rob Phillips is director of communications for the Missouri Baptist Convention. This column is excerpted from Baptist Press; read the full version at BPNews.net.

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Is hospitality really a ministry?

Meredith Flynn —  December 5, 2012

THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

Twenty-eight college students from 11 countries came to a rather unlikely place – Springfield, Ill. – the weekend before Thanksgiving, for a few rather unlikely reasons: a visit to the Abraham Lincoln museum and a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal. And, of course, the chance to get away from campus for a few days. But the biggest draw?

“Year after year, it’s the experience of being in an American home,” said Chase Abner, collegiate evangelism strategist for the Illinois Baptist State Association, which organizes the Midwest International Student Conference with the help of local churches and Baptist campus ministries. “That fascinates them and draws them to the conference.”

The vast majority – up to 80% – of international students will never set foot in an American home, giving Christians a great opportunity to showcase the Gospel by just sharing their lives, Abner said.

“We’re able to show within our homes how the Christian faith affects everything about us,” he said. “How we eat, how we manage our household, how we treat our family members…”

What do you think? Have you and your family been able to use the ministry of hospitality to share the Gospel?

Other news:

Tweets from the Vatican
CNN reports Pope Benedict XVI will open a personal Twitter account next week under the account @Pontifex. His first Tweet, slated for Wednesday, Dec. 12, will answer a question about religion submitted via the hashtag #askpontifex. “The Pope’s presence on Twitter is a concrete expression of his conviction that the Church must be present in the digital arena,” the church said in a written statement to reporters, according to CNN’s religion news blog. Read the full story here.

Anonymous author embraces obscurity, humility
The author of the new book “Embracing Obscurity: Becoming Nothing in Light of God’s Everything,” released by B&H Publishing Group, chose to publish under the name “Anonymous” and to maintain nearly complete anonymity. Only one B&H editor and a couple of executives at LifeWay Christian Resources know the identity of Anonymous – reportedly a well-established author – who communicates via a specially created email address. “This book is a call to stop imitating the world’s formula for success and instead follow the model of our humble King,” Anonymous said in quotes provided by B&H. Read more at BPNews.net.

Abortion rate drops 5%
The Centers for Disease Control reported in late November that the abortion rate in the United States is down 5%, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times. The decrease is reflected in data for the year 2009, the most recent information available. It represents the largest single-year decline in abortions in the last decade, The Times reported, adding that 18% of pregnancies in the U.S. end in abortion. Read more.

Survey: Most Americans back contraception mandate
Nearly two-thirds of adults in America believe businesses and organizations, even those with conflicting religious principles, should be required to provide coverage of contraception and birth control for their employees, according to a new survey by LifeWay Research. In considering whether nonprofits should be required to provide the coverage, 56 percent of adults agree and 32 percent disagree they should be required to follow the Obama Administration’s contraception mandate, even if it goes against their religious beliefs. For more findings, go to BPNews.net.

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A different kind of hustle and bustle

Meredith Flynn —  December 3, 2012

FLYNN_dec3HEARTLAND | Meredith Flynn

“Hey man, it’s Jesus!”

The young man and his friend walked by the nativity scene recently unveiled in the Illinois State Capitol, pausing for a split second before moving on.

A small group had gathered to officially open the display with short speeches and Christmas carols, but they were hard to hear over the crowd echoing through the rotunda. I was there to photograph the scene for the Illinois Baptist, and to satisfy my own curiosity about how these two worlds – faith and government – might look right next to each other. But what was even more interesting to watch were the reactions of people walking by.

Hundreds streamed by the nativity during the ceremony, many pausing to look or take photos. Some parents wielding cameras and smart phones sent their young children to stand in front of the wooden lean-to, next to a Mary and Joseph who stood at about their height.

A woman in a colorful floor-length robe and head covering posed for a cell phone photo. A large group wearing “highway safety” buttons moved by the display in twos and threes. Onlookers lined the Capitol’s balcony, leaning over for a glimpse of the baby.

But then they all went on their way, back to meetings or rallies or conversations that had been interrupted by the unusual site of this particular family.

Jesus gets people’s attention. As was evidenced in the Capitol that day, they notice Him. Sure, some of it is simple curiosity, or an opportunity to post an interesting picture on Facebook. But people’s fascination with Jesus and His story, especially during the holiday season, gives Christians an opportunity to talk about Him we might not have any other time of year.

As I watched the crowd, this thought started nagging at me: Would I stop and look? I know who Jesus is, I know His story. And more than that, He’s the reason I have any hope at all, at Christmas or any other time of year. But how often do I think about that hope – and look for opportunities to share it – in the hustle and bustle of Christmas?

I attended a Christmas party recently where we sat in a circle and read pieces of the Christmas story to one another. (To be honest, it was part of a game where we later “stole” presents from one another, so don’t get too lofty an opinion of us). After one friend read her verse from Luke 2 for the fifth or sixth time, she said with a smile, “It never gets old.”

Lord, please let that be true this Christmas. Let us never get too busy to stop and look at You, and to notice that others are looking, too.

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