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  • November 30, 1999

Archives For November 30, 1999

National Day of Prayer brings Christians to the Illinois Capitol steps

Meredith Flynn —  May 2, 2013
At a worship service on the National Day of Prayer, some knelt in prayer in front of the Illinois State Capitol, while others lifted their hands in worship.

At a worship service on the National Day of Prayer, some knelt in prayer in front of the Illinois State Capitol, while others lifted their hands in worship.

NEWS | Meredith Flynn

A crowd gathered on the steps of the Illinois State Capitol Thursday to celebrate the National Day of Prayer with singing, words of encouragement and – of course – prayer.

Tim Sadler, the Illinois Baptist State Association’s director of evangelism, also had an opportunity to share about “My Hope with Billy Graham,” a strategy touted as the 94-year-old evangelist’s last crusade. (The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is producing a DVD for Christians to show in their homes, and then present their personal stories of faith.)

IBSA's Tim Sadler shares about "My Hope with Billy Graham."

IBSA’s Tim Sadler shares about “My Hope with Billy Graham.”

In his prayer, Sadler shared the Gospel:

“Father, we come this day to affirm our need for you, the very source of our hope. We realize that our attempts at lasting change have proven futile. Real change, transformational change comes through a relationship with you, and only a relationship with you.

“We know we are living in a pluralistic, if not increasingly relativistic and secularistic culture. Remind us that we are all the creation of God, but that we are not all the children of God. You tell us in your Word that only those who have placed their faith in Jesus and His death in our place on the cross have the right to become the children of God.

“Break out hearts todayFather, for those who are not yet in a relationship with you.”

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Big moments are big opportunities

Meredith Flynn —  January 24, 2013

pull quote_ADAMS_jan24COMMENTARY | Nate Adams

A few days ago I had the privilege of performing the wedding ceremony for our son Caleb and his now wife Laura. As is true for most young couples, it was arguably the biggest moment of their lives. So I was very pleased when, together, they told me their desire was for the ceremony to honor God. But I was especially moved when they went a step further, and asked me to make sure the Gospel was clearly presented.

You pastors that are reading this know what a welcome and freeing experience that is. We long, most of us, for opportunities to share Christ openly. But we also need to be sensitive to the couple’s or family’s wishes at times like weddings, anniversaries, or funerals.

And not everyone wants to give the big moments of their lives to the Lord. Even devoted Christians often expect the bride to be the primary focus of a wedding day, and that’s understandable. But I think you can focus on the bride, honor the Lord, and share the Gospel without diminishing any of the three. Let me share briefly here the few words I included in Caleb’s and Laura’s ceremony:

“Now let me pause here and say something to the rest of the congregation. When Caleb and Laura and I were planning this ceremony, I asked them, what would you like the central message of your wedding ceremony to be? What would you like the people gathered there on that special day to know above all else?

“Here’s what they said. ‘The most important thing about us and our story is that we would not be together except for the way God has worked in our lives. We want others to see His story in our story. We didn’t really know how to love each other until Christ became the center of our relationship. We would love everyone there to know what it means to have God at the center of their lives and their relationships.’

“You see, the way this young couple came to know and love each other is the way many people come to know and love God. It may begin with just a casual acquaintance, an occasional prayer, maybe even periods of disinterest and distance. And then one day, your realization that God loves you unconditionally comes alive, perhaps through the joyful expression and heartfelt testimony of someone who really knows Him. You realize the void in your life, and that God has been there all along, loving you and reaching out to you. Nothing would please Caleb and Laura more, and nothing would honor their wedding day more, than for you to turn to God as they have, and to surrender your life to Him.  Caleb and Laura want you to know that, with the certainty they do.”

Words along those lines can give wedding guests something to talk about at the reception. More importantly, they can give lost friends and family something to talk about on the drive home, or with the couple after they return from the honeymoon.

The biggest wedding day of all will be when the risen and victorious Lord Jesus returns to earth as a Groom coming for his bride, the Church. That day will certainly focus on the Bride, but it will also glorify God and lead every knee to bow at the truth of the Gospel. It will be a day when we will all be glad for the big moments of our lives that we gave to the Lord, especially if He uses them as opportunities to draw our loved ones to Himself for eternity.

Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association.

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The value of staying where you are

Meredith Flynn —  December 13, 2012
FRIENDLY INVASION – “Invade your city strategically,” advises Ronnie Floyd. The Arkansas pastor and SBC leader urged Illinois pastors to identify local people groups and customize ministry to share the Gospel with them.

“Invade your city strategically,” advises Ronnie Floyd. He urged Illinois pastors to identify local people groups and customize ministry to share the Gospel with them.

COMMENTARY | Eric Reed

Many pastors and church leaders may wonder if they could be more effective in a different community or congregation. But Ronnie Floyd, who has served his Arkansas church for more than 25 years, warned against longing for a better location.

“Some of you wonder if He forgot your e-mail address and your cell number, but He’s got you fixed where you are,” said Floyd, who spoke to Illinois leaders during the IBSA Pastors’ Conference November 13.

He told a story about his community of Springdale, Arkansas, which is home to up to 8,000 people from the Marshall Islands. It’s a long way from Arkansas to the tiny collection of atolls in the North Pacific Ocean. In fact, fly out of Little Rock to Honolulu, and you’re still only about halfway there.

These thousands of Marshallese have journeyed to the middle of America in search of jobs, mostly in the poultry industry. They found jobs. But more important, they found the Gospel.

“They thought they were coming for chicken,” Floyd said of the Marshallese immigrants, “but they were groping for Jesus.” Today, Floyd’s congregation hosts the first Southern Baptist congregation for Marshallese in North America.

God’s placement of people – whether it’s a pastor or someone who needs to hear the Gospel – is providential and purposeful.

“God had brought everyone of those people to town for a purpose, that they might seek and go after God,” Floyd said. “His sovereign plan has brought lost people to your town, too, so you can see them as he sees them and can strategize and reach them.”

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Mission Illinois: Taking it personally

Meredith Flynn —  November 1, 2012

COMMENTARY | Nate Adams

Recently my college alma mater asked me to write an endorsement letter to include in a mailing they’re sending to churches. I said yes because I believe in the school; it had a transformational and lasting effect on my life, and I’m confident it can do the same for students today. I was willing to take the mission of my college personally.

So I wrote about the Christian worldview, lasting friendships and leadership opportunities I found there. I wrote about meeting my wife there. And because I now serve as a trustee of the university, and two of our sons now attend there, I was also able to write personally from current experience about what a special, transforming place it is for students today.

Of course my letter wouldn’t have been complete without a personal invitation to action as well. So I asked the churches to display the college’s poster, and to call the phone number or explore the college’s website. And I invited them to e-mail or call me personally with any questions, assuring them that I simply wanted them to experience the same blessing I had.

As I finished my letter, I realized that I had just done for my alma mater what I too rarely do for my Lord and Savior. I too rarely am willing to take His mission personally.

Why do I not more often choose to enthusiastically but briefly communicate the wonderful way He has transformed my life? Why don’t I have on the tip of my tongue the compelling reasons someone should say yes to Jesus today? Why don’t I more urgently invite those who are far from God to take action now, and receive the same blessing I’ve enjoyed since welcoming Him into my life? Here in the darkness and lostness of Illinois, why don’t I take His mission more personally?

Of course each of us must answer that question before the Lord. But this endorsement letter for my college made me realize something else, something rather simple. I gave my testimony, and outlined the good news that’s available to others, and invited them to act – because someone asked me to.

Someone said it was important, and then formed a simple plan in which I could participate, and then asked me to do my part. Maybe there is something to learn there about our mission in Illinois.

Calling one another out of complacency and into evangelism is one of the most important things we do as an association of churches. You wouldn’t think it is necessary, any more than you would think it is necessary to ask a grateful alumnus to say a good word about his college. But often it doesn’t happen until someone asks.

This year at the IBSA Annual Meeting, we will be asking. The first priority in Mission Illinois, the “point of the plow” if you will, is renewed commitment to passionate evangelism. First and foremost, Mission Illinois must be contagious Christians from healthy churches served by effective leaders running boldly into the lostness of Illinois with the good news of Jesus Christ.

We need to say to one another that sharing Christ is important, and to form simple, reproducible plans in which church members can participate, and then to simply ask one another to do our part. So much more than the college I attended, the Gospel has had a transformational and lasting effect on my life. I’m confident it can do the same for those who are now far from God. Mission Illinois can be so much more than a theme, if we will take it personally.

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10 reasons we haven’t reached the unchurched

Meredith Flynn —  September 27, 2012

COMMENTARY | Thom Rainer

Editor’s note: In a column posted on Baptist Press, LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Rainer listed 10 factors that threaten the church’s effectiveness. See his list below, and add your own in the comments section. And go to BPnews.net to read the full column.

1. Spiritual lethargy.
2. Growing inclusivism.
3. Growing disbelief in hell.
4. Busyness.
5. Fear of rejection.
6. A desire to be tolerant.
7. Losing the habit of witnessing.
8. Lack of accountability.
9. Failure to invite.
10. We go to churches that do not reach the unchurched.

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